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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html
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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. % v" M, B& s5 B- T6 j
7 [' M+ A/ R2 Z9 c3 p+ ]Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. + d; `) T M# m$ X y* }1 w
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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. 8 F' ~6 }, ]4 r% p
# N( t4 R! @. ?Right 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.
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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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+ X" s. G; f: q: K; [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.
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But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. # x5 P, C8 E* `$ s) r
& K! l. r" i, X! Q, r“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. 6 S9 r" R3 D2 w' d
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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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8 g5 V+ v3 j# U; G9 n. z- oStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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