Why affordable worker housing is the latest hurdle for Canada’s tourist town hotspots
Global News
Businesses in tourist hotspots far from big cities are feeling the pinch of affordable housing, as smaller communities struggle to lure workers amid labour crunch and rising rents.
When he opened Fish & Sips with his wife in 2015, Paul Feather found hiring to be one among many challenges of running a restaurant with long hours on the main drag of Collingwood, Ont.
But after the COVID-19 pandemic struck and housing prices in vacation hotspots soared, the cod-and-calamari-slinging 49-year-old saw staffing as his No. 1obstacle, due in no small part to a shortage of affordable places for workers to rent.
“It’s the affordability, but also the availability. There isn’t enough rental stock for people to choose from,” Feather said from the restaurant’s dining area, now undergoing an expansion.
His latest kitchen hire couldn’t find a place in town and commutes by car _ another hurdle when gas prices are soaring and regional public transit lags.
Feather is relying increasingly on high school and college students for front of house _ “they’re already living at home” _ but those under 18 are barred from serving alcohol and limited to hosting, takeout or working the cash register.
“It’s just so incredibly difficult,” he said.
Businesses in tourist hotspots far from big cities are feeling the pinch of affordable housing, as smaller communities struggle to lure workers amid a labour crunch and rising rents.
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