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Extended employment insurance benefits previously out of reach for Edmonton and area residents are kicking in.

The federal budget released in March added weeks of employment insurance coverage in 12 regions most affected by low commodity prices. But Edmonton and the surrounding area, along with interior British Columbia and south Saskatchewan, were left off the list because they didn’t meet criteria set out by Ottawa because their unemployment numbers weren’t high enough at the time.

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The Alberta government and Edmonton’s mayor put pressure on the Liberals to include Edmonton, citing the tens of thousands of layoffs across the province since oil prices plummeted in 2014.

Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray said the extended benefits and other changes, most of which came into effect July 3, will help support struggling families.

“The original exclusion just didn’t reflect the reality,” she said.