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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html# Y0 H5 X+ s2 v9 X7 w) _
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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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2 K& U8 ]" K% |. T. ?& p* uAlberta 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. & \2 ]7 C2 X. C! B9 T/ z& Q- T
- F: n6 H. I" F/ W" QFederal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. " L5 A Q/ W1 V- {! F, G, M% B
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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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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. 5 ^4 e' w1 v7 p. ^7 z
! F0 v8 h2 L1 n1 O. E“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said.
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2 Y" {! k2 y! ? g! q# d“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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4 Z. D4 O$ ~ L$ F5 l i' GStelmach said the province is giving $285 million in new money for affordable housing and is trying to tackle that problem. |
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