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http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/05/13/4177280.html5 i7 h2 o2 e* B; D5 ]/ x
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# x8 G7 F- ?9 D4 V5 ZCALGARY — 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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Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach says the agreement will cut red tape and give the province increased influence and control of immigration. # m" I. L0 G6 ?# Z: D5 [6 x
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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. 4 A0 z0 b! Q6 Q& J# t
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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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) X2 J4 J2 c# ~% z# y: z8 ?4 r; ~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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# J# u! G' _* _. nIt’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. , C# r6 Z* H7 g! W% f2 O. A& i
/ v+ V6 F5 ~. l+ w. W9 kBut Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. , ^1 L. Y7 |, I8 ?; }; G
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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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