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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html) o! d# C& q$ Q( t! R2 A* j4 ?
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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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+ z1 z8 O1 y I( X1 M5 E" jAlberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration.
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- R; Q6 ]3 a5 i5 N0 ^( l! ]' c2 w7 aThe rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program. ) J# O( x4 _' y) S G# _& C
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Right now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program. 4 W7 Y! I8 u; T W" y& s: o9 i+ v
" B( H( T: @7 N6 ~# DFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. : `5 k/ c' D* p' ?
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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 K8 ~4 P6 R4 n5 s# z! P$ p/ A6 V; m
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It’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. 6 F1 X+ s4 w7 o7 m$ T& p
7 {! @* {/ U% R! wBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. ' { P4 j# v9 A
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“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.” % X" Y/ W) Q* t& p* }
0 G' M# D- {& }+ H, pStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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