Banff, Lake Louise businesses say TFW program changes will lead to closures

Hundreds of hospitality workers are set to leave Alberta's resort town of Banff and Lake Louise after sweeping changes to the federal government's temporary foreign worker program.

Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the town of Banff and the nearby hamlet of Lake Louise to stay in hotels, take in the scenery, and spend money at local stores and restaurants — all staffed by a mix of Canadians and people from across the globe.

Walk into any building in the tourist towns and you’re as likely to be greeted by a local as you are someone from Australia, Asia or South America.

But now, the Alberta mountain communities are bracing for labor shortages following changes to the federal government’s temporary foreign workers program.

“It looks like not being able to meet demand, if we have chronic labor shortages like we did pre-pandemic, post pandemic — there’s specific positions we’ve always seen labor shortages in and we’ll see it in an even broader scopes across the industry, ” said Karlie Fleury with Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association.

Doncath Holdings Ltd. owns and operates nine gift shops in Banff and said 30 per cent of its workforce is made up of foreign workers.

Under the changes, employers are only allowed 10 per cent and workers can only stay for one year instead of two.

The program is often used as a pathway for employees who wanted to stay longer and attain permanent residency.

Natalia Rosas, from Chile, has been working hard to obtain her hours to apply for PR — but the those hopes have now been dashed.