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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html1 ]$ B( }' U3 d' E- t, y: r
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/ J' _ @2 f$ J& @4 A2 m9 @$ @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. & j, H$ c/ M6 H9 t# R
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Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. 7 V7 `4 z9 Z& L% K1 U; ~. [ s# Y
$ M8 ^( v6 S0 d, l9 d! U' P/ H) yThe rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program.
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9 W' y3 Y" r+ c+ H! NRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. ! k" C7 Z9 z6 k# X: I! c
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. * C/ O2 R9 Z$ m3 K; Y5 `6 e, N
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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. 4 F/ R" h2 B4 T
( @2 [9 |% l9 eIt’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. 3 A7 I% k- `2 ]/ \
; K: D. j& b3 V0 n1 V- WBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. 4 p. J7 ?' E% K: Z
4 `# `0 [; r; K1 ~5 s“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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“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.” * r' A' h+ t. X: R' d3 ^
/ V5 x; g- u6 ^/ ]- CStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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