By Clare Ogilvie, the Piquenews Maganize | Link to Article
Wistler has always been a place full of visitors, with the majority of people living here coming from somewhere else as well.
By Clare Ogilvie, the Piquenews Maganize | Link to Article
Wistler has always been a place full of visitors, with the majority of people living here coming from somewhere else as well.
We have seen a growing appreciation of that in the popular multicultural festival hosted here each June, and most businesses value not just the travelling visitors who choose to spend their vacations here, but also the residents who have come from afar.
When news of the scandals around the Temporary Foreign Workers program started to spread, most in Whistler read about them then turned the page. What does that have to do with us, thought many.
But as a recent survey by the Whistler Chamber of Commerce found, the resort needs to sit up and pay attention to the issue.
Of those who completed the survey 62 per cent hired TFWs in the last year, while 25 per cent hired over 15 temporary foreign workers last season alone.
And the latest changes coming in will undoubtedly have an impact for these employers. Already Pepe Barajas, of Infinity Enterprises, which operates The Mexican Corner, is considering putting his latest venture, La Cantina at Marketplace, on hold as he comes to grips with what the changes mean for his restaurant.
The changes are likely to impact the number of Mexican chefs and workers he can bring in.
Barajas is totally in favour of hiring Canadians, but he is looking for specific cooking skills and knowledge to create his authentic food.
Last year, the restaurant industry rose to the top slot of occupations given so-called labour market opinions (LMOs), basically approvals to hire temporary foreign workers. Six years ago, restaurants didn’t even appear in the top 10.
There is no doubt that as a visitor it adds authenticity when the staff serving you, or cooking for you, represent the country of origin.
But is that enough reason to bring in a temporary worker and hire them over a Canadian — no it is not.
The new changes to the program include a limit to the number of TFWs large- and medium-sized companies can employ and there is a major hike to the fees