The governmentâs recent ban on temporary foreign workers in the food service industry has the potential to dramatically impact Jasper businesses.
On April 24, after more than a week of media reports on restaurant ownersâ abuses of the governmentâs temporary foreign worker program, Minister of Employment and Social Development Jason Kenney shocked the food service industry by placing a âmoratoriumâ on its access to the program.
The government has been investigating abuses of the program for some time, and in a statement released to major media outlets, Kenney said that âdespite these actions there remain serious concerns regarding the use of the temporary foreign worker program in the food services sector.â Because of those concerns, âESDC will not process any new or pending LMO applications related to the food services sector,â and âany unfilled positions tied to a previously approved LMO will be suspended.â
Kenney said the moratorium will stay in effect until the government completes an audit of the program, but so far has not said how long that process will take.
The lack of a clear timeline worries many Jasper business owners, who rely on temporary foreign workers to keep their restaurants and cafés operating.
Kim Stark owns the Bearâs Paw Bakery, and said she is âimmenselyâ concerned about Kenneyâs ban on the food service industryâs access to the program. Temporary foreign workers are essential to her business, and with four positions to fill in her two cafĂ©s, she is constantly on the lookout for qualified employees.
âI canât possibly maintain what I have unless I have people working for me,â she said. âItâs completely unfeasible to think you can operate without staff, and unless thereâs a better plan, I need foreign workers.â
With no information forthcoming about how long the ban will last, Stark is worried she might end up having to close her doors early, something that happened in the past when she couldnât find enough workers.
âI think there will be some real problems,â she said.
Another local restaurant owner, who wished to remain unnamed, agreed. He said itâs always a struggle to find enough staff in Jasper, and if the ban on temporary foreign workers lasts for too long, his business will absolutely suffer.
âItâs going to definitely be a tough summer, my hours will probably be shortened this year compared to last year if we do not have the people,â he said.
Rob Merrifield is the Progressive Conservative MP for the Yellowhead riding. He spoke with the 51°”Íű the day after Kenney announced the ban. While he couldnât speak for Kenney directly, he said he has spoken with the minister in the past about the temporary foreign worker program.
âI think that what the minister did last evening was just say, âhey, Iâve had enough of these abuses, and weâre going to have to send a stronger message to the employers,ââ he said.
Merrifield did acknowledge that âwe absolutely need this program in Yellowhead,â and said he will be taking feedback from local restaurant owners back to the minister this week, and impressing on him how much Jasper needs a speedy resolution to the issue.
He stressed that the government has been trying to address abuses of the temporary foreign worker program âfor years now,â but the recent reports of abuses have demonstrated that more needs to be done.
âThatâs why the minister is saying, âOK, letâs just take a pause, letâs do the investigation, particularly for the food service sector, and letâs figure out exactly whatâs going on, and make sure this is in Canadaâs best interest,ââ he said.
Stark, however, believes targeting just one specific industry is a âtotal load of crap,â and doesnât feel she should be punished for what other business owners are doing. She said she tries everything possible to recruit within Canada first, but it just doesnât work.
She puts ads on Kijiji, Craigslist, government job banks, local publications, and even sticks signs in her windows, but she still gets almost no applications from Canadians.
âI donât know what else I can do; I canât manifest human beings,â she said.
Pattie Pavlov, manager of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, shares Starkâs sentiments.
âI donât know if thereâs an employer in town who accesses [temporary foreign workers] who doesnât truly believe they need them,â she said.
Like Stark and other business owners in town she realizes that the program, while necessary, is flawed. While she thinks a review of the program is a good thing, she questions Kenneyâs moratorium, and is worried what it could mean for Jasper if it goes on too long.
âAt this time, that decision is shortsighted, particularly coming into the busiest time of the year,â she said. âIt certainly does put a lot of peopleâs lives, and livelihoods in jeopardy, [and] doesnât consider all the people and businesses that can be affected.â
While Merrifield said he believes the audit should be finished âsooner rather than later,â he could give no specific information about what âsoonerâ might mean.
Pavlov pointed out that with the temporary foreign worker program in limbo and no clear timeline for a resolution, it will be nearly impossible for business owners in Jasper to plan anything into the future.
 Trevor Nichols
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