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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. % @0 c6 x5 d% n
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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.
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; X( Y8 N9 f; y3 kThe 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. " l9 R5 Q/ \) a2 ]2 k
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Federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley said the changes will be noticed by people offering their skills to Canada. 2 q3 |! K! Q, P L
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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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" W6 f/ l; ]1 R- x/ l1 }But Birjandian said Alberta’s often unaffordable housing remains a daunting hurdle for many newcomers. 3 p0 y" V0 ^- T4 X6 f+ P( s
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“For people coming in, it is a bigger issue for settling in,” he said. 0 v7 V# D; c- }8 p% y& i9 n
8 v2 L/ F+ Z/ ]( p“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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