Increased access to TFWs in rural areas needed: Restaurants Canada
Restaurants Canada is calling on provinces and territories to request a temporary increase in access to Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) for rural areas, citing ongoing labour shortages in the food service sector.
Changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that took effect April 1 allow employers in eligible rural regions of participating provinces and territories to hire up to 15 per cent of their low-wage workforce through the program, up from the usual 10 per cent cap. The measure is temporary and will remain in place until March 31, 2027, but provinces must first submit formal requests to Ottawa before employers can apply.
Restaurants Canada Vice-President of Federal Affairs Matt Triemstra said the industry is dealing with about 70,000 job vacancies nationwide, many of them outside major cities.
“There just isn’t a sufficient local labour supply of workers to operate a local restaurant,” he said.
Triemstra said ageing populations and younger workers relocating to urban centres for school or employment have reduced labour availability in rural communities. He added that restaurants often need specialized workers such as chefs, cooks, and overnight staff.
“We, of course, employ a large number of youth... but sometimes the youth can’t do overnight shifts, or they’re not trained cooks,” he said.
Triemstra said Nova Scotia has approved the increase, while Quebec has declined. He added that employers still prefer to hire locally whenever possible, but “rural restaurants are experiencing severe labour shortages, and we need workers now.”
