N.B. businesses struggle to find staff during peak tourist season
New Brunswick businesses in the tourism corridor of Route 114 are desperate for workers, even as the summer season slowly winds down.
In Alma, next to Fundy National Park, two of the village's larger restaurants were closed Wednesday due to staffing issues.
The Tipsy Tails was closed Tuesday so employees could get at least one day off. Closing for a day costs owner Jeremy Wilbur thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
"When you're closing in peak season, in a seasonal business, it really hurts financially. We've got people coming from away that are coming just to eat at the restaurant. When they show up and see that the door is closed and they're only here for one day, they're disappointed," said Wilbur.
It's a bad situation, but Wilbur knows it's not unique to the region.
"I've got friends in Ontario that own restaurants, top chefs, and they can't get staff. When I grew up in the business, you would work almost for free for those chefs, and now they can't even get people as well," he said.
They're short-staffed up the road in Hopewell Hill too at Broadleaf Ranch.
The ranch and adventure business' co-owner, Wendy Hudson, praised her staff, many of whom are cross-trained and help in other departments when needed, but she could still use three or four more people.
"It's really not just tourism and it's really not just between Hillsborough and Alma. It's Air Canada, it's all the trades. Everyone is wondering why it's so difficult to find workers, regardless of what line of business you're in," said Hudson.
In Hillsborough, Briggs Maple owner David Briggs lost a few employees earlier this summer. He's in desperate need of replacements and is clearly frustrated.
"Very. We don't have a lot of population in this area to work from," said Briggs. "Anybody who's out there is either employed or retired. It's not easy."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.