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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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I* g7 j. {0 e& Z3 G* X3 v1 I, b5 CCALGARY — 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. ) V7 I4 y4 ~4 {1 k/ s" |3 q; a
6 b0 V3 w/ o" ~$ BAlberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration.
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$ { `+ }) H" U3 T8 @The rise to 25,000 immigrant workers per year will happen over the next 10 years under the provincial nominee program. ! {0 w( X* y. o) e% @3 k
0 u( X& E' J9 Q, [- [; x+ A) S% qRight now, 2,500 workers per year come under the program.
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. 7 ^+ Y9 r* Y7 _
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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.
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3 k, I$ [9 Z. s" BIt’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.
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( D. t5 Q! K& l0 wBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers.
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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.”
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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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