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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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0 h9 Q; r& b0 i. n$ w) ^CALGARY — An agreement between Alberta and the federal government will allow 25,000 foreign workers per year to come to the province to aid in its worker shortage.
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" L& F0 V- u3 l; [1 \1 m" NAlberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration.
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The rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program.
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. , O1 M! m! j4 {( R# {, _
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. % l% S1 e8 F2 O, v7 J* H
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The pact gives Alberta the power to nominate more immigrants possessing skills needed in the province and also provides more resources to help them settle here. 9 r. [: k! k! Z: E7 J
# I4 \0 _* |" P& W9 E& J# P }1 W: rIt’s a step in the right direction in breaking down time-consuming, frustrating barriers facing immigrants seeking to ply their skills here, said Fariboz Birjandian, chairman of the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies. ; y3 T% L5 t0 q$ p
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. ; e4 \, d" y2 ^. U% j
0 J0 N: c, e; D“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. ( Q E! t k4 n* N. X: G
9 x& k" ]- |( G' i- g% y$ Q$ Q; T“And we don’t want Calgary becoming a city where all the rich people live on one side and all the poor on the other.”
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Stelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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