'It’s a huge shift': Cape Breton businesses in danger of closing due to worker shortages
Restaurant staff have been hard to come by in Cape Breton in recent months.
At Jane’s Restaurant and Pizzeria along Highway 105 in Bras d'or, N.S., it's the most trouble the owner has had hiring in more than 30 years working there.
Owner Mary Devoe recently posted on social media that her restaurant will be closed two days a week until they can find full staff.
She says there simply doesn't seem to be enough qualified workers, adding her business is too far out of the way to attract international students.
"We've had hires, but they don't seem to stick around or stay,” Devoe said. "I get tired of training people and getting them right where you need them, and then two or three months later, they're up and gone. As long as I've been in this business, this is probably the worst I've ever seen it."
At the Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce, folders full of resumes are further evidence.
"It's a huge shift. I've never seen 'help wanted' signs in my hometown of Louisbourg until the last three years,” said Chamber CEO Jenna Lahey.
In late February, the Miner's Village Restaurant in Glace Bay closed due to an insufficient number of workers.
Another eatery along Sydney's boardwalk did the same a short time later.
Lahey said hiring is even tougher in rural areas and added there are concerns that's where they might see a hit during the coming tourism season.
"So when they're traveling, say around the Cabot Trail or around the coastline, and they can't find somewhere to get something to eat, it's going to be bad,” Lahey said.
Back at her restaurant in Bras d'or, Devoe says she'll need at least three more cooks to operate at full capacity this summer.
Last year, they had to cut their busy season short.
"I hope we'll be able to acquire some people before that time. That's the end goal,” she said.
For now, Devoe plans to head to a job fair in nearby North Sydney on Thursday in hopes of finding help to keep the open sign on.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.