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Cooks, nurses, mall santas in short supply in Canada
The signs of an unprecedented labor shortage in Canada are glaring: hospital emergency rooms closed because of a lack of nurses, restaurants skipping meals, and fewer Santas in malls.
In Ottawa, a “Help Wanted” notice in the window of Corazon De Maiz restaurant — like those in storefronts across Canada — has gone mostly unanswered since the recent lifting of public health restrictions introduced 19 months ago to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The end of Covid-19 lockdowns brought droves of customers to the capital city eatery, but with kitchen staffing levels down, the restaurant has been unable to meet the demand for burritos and tacos.
“We’re suddenly busier, but we’re having to close early because my wife and I are exhausted after working all day,” owner Eric Igari told AFP.
One new hire worked three hours and quit, saying the job was too hard for not enough pay, Igari said.
“We’ve asked friends to pitch in, and even a few regular customers offered to help,” Igari said. Two customers actually worked a few shifts.
No ‘ho ho ho’
A sign says “sorry, shortage of employees” outside of the restaurant La Panthere Verte in Montreal, Quebec, taken on November 11, 2021. Anne-Sophie THILL / AFP
Studies by the government and industry associations found that up to two-thirds of Canadian businesses are facing worker shortages, and claim the deficit is limiting their growth.
The industries most affected are health care, food services, manufacturing, and construction.
According to the latest from Statistics Canada, there were a total of 1,014,600 job vacancies in September, including 196,100 in food services and 131,200 in health care — double the numbers from two years ago.
Trevin Stratton, a partner at Deloitte Canada, said factors contributing to the shortfall include an aging population leaving the workforce and lower recent immigration due to travel restrictions — which Canada lifted in September.
Some sectors are adapting through the use of technologies such as increased automation in manufacturing, e-commerce in retail, or allowing staff to work from home.
But in others, “many workers might not necessarily yet feel comfortable working somewhere where their physical presence is required,” Stratton said.
This is particularly true in the restaurant industry, which also shed workers fed up with the cycle of lockdowns and re-openings throughout the pandemic. “They’re now looking for more stability,” Stratton said.
With Christmas just weeks away, the trend has also impacted the supply of Santa actors usually hired for photos with children on their knee at shopping malls or professional mixers.
Jeff Gilroy of Just Be Claus said he’s turned down 200 Santa gigs in Ontario. After large gatherings were banned last Christmas, he told AFP, “people are looking to have a Santa to make it a more festive Christmas.”
Catherine Lacasse of the Professional Santa Claus Agency of Quebec said her province has ample Santas, “but we’re struggling to find enough elves.”
Nurses’ Burnout
“In health care, we’ve seen an exodus, particularly of nurses this year,” Stratton said. “Some of that has to do with the stress of the job right now.”
Lachine hospital in Montreal was forced to close its emergency room at night due to a “critical shortage of nurses,” said spokeswoman Gilda Salomone.
Several others, she said, “are experiencing a major labor shortage that is limiting the quality and access to care.”
Observers have suggested simply raising salaries to lure workers.
But Jasmin Guenette of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), said this “isn’t an option for many small businesses still struggling to recoup pandemic losses.”
“We see things slowly getting back to normal, going out to restaurants, for example, and we think that means businesses are doing well. But that’s not the case. The impact of the pandemic was severe, and is still being felt,” he said.
According to a CFIB survey, the average small business in Canada racked up Can$170,000 (US$135,000) in debts over the pandemic. And an estimated 180,000 businesses, or one in six, are now “at risk of closing.”
Chez Mere-Grand restaurant in Montreal sought for 21 weeks to hire a cook and a barista. Its owner Romain Beiso explained that the hiring pool is smaller because many people now insist on a better work-life balance and job security found in other sectors.
“Our wages are not competitive because we cannot afford it,” he also acknowledged.
Over at Hotel Place d’Armes, manager Benoit Pretet worries about being short 25 staff going into the holiday season.
“The clientele is back,” he said, “but we can’t open all our rooms.”
As Nigerians celebrate Christmas amidst festivities and reflections, the Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency of Oyo state, Engr. Aderemi Oseni has sent a heartfelt message to Nigerians, emphasising the importance of unity, compassion, and selflessness in nation-building.
In his Christmas message on Wednesday, contained in a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker described the season as a time to reflect on the love and sacrifice demonstrated by the birth of Jesus Christ.
He urged citizens to embrace the spirit of giving, kindness, and shared humanity that Christmas symbolises.
“Christmas is a season of hope, joy, and renewal,” Oseni said. “It reminds us of our shared duty to show love to one another, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliations. Let us work together to foster unity and peace in our country, especially as we navigate through challenging times.”
The lawmaker also highlighted the significance of collective responsibility in nation-building.
“As we celebrate, we must remember the less privileged in our communities. Acts of charity and kindness, no matter how small, can make a significant impact on someone’s life,” he added.
The APC chieftain expressed gratitude to his constituents in Ibarapa East/Ido for their unwavering support, assuring them of his commitment to delivering more impactful governance.
He also called for patience and cooperation as the government works towards addressing issues affecting the nation, including infrastructure development, economic stability, and security.
“Let this Christmas inspire us to continue building bridges of hope and fostering the true Nigerian spirit of togetherness,” he stated.
As the year draws to a close, Oseni encouraged Nigerians to remain optimistic about the nation’s future, assuring them that better days lie ahead with collective effort and unwavering faith.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated enforcement action against five airlines—two international and three domestic operators—for various violations of its regulations under Part 19.
The offenses include non-payment of passenger refunds within the stipulated timeframe, non-responsiveness to NCAA directives, mishandling of luggage, short-landed baggage, delayed and canceled flights, among other infractions.
Addressing journalists at the NCAA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Michael Achimugu, the Authority’s spokesman, stated that airlines must adhere to regulations regarding flight disruptions. He emphasized that failure to comply attracts sanctions.
“Although airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations stipulate actions that airlines must take during such incidents. Failure to comply attracts various levels of sanctions,” Achimugu said.
He reminded airlines of the NCAA’s recent directive mandating refunds to passengers within 14 days for online ticket purchases and immediate cash refunds for tickets bought with cash.
The yuletide season has seen a rise in passenger complaints about delays and cancellations, largely attributed to harmattan-induced poor visibility. Achimugu clarified that airlines are not liable for cancellations due to force majeure but stressed that the enforcement actions are for cases where airlines are found at fault.
“This is harmattan season, so there is poor visibility. Flights must get canceled. This is force majeure, and the airlines do not owe passengers anything in those instances. The enforcement we are initiating today is on cases where the airline is deemed to have been at fault. More will come,” he explained.
Achimugu further disclosed that the NCAA would summon the chief executives of all airlines this week to address flight disruptions and regulatory breaches.
While the names of the sanctioned airlines were not officially revealed, sources close to the Authority identified them as Ethiopian Airways, Royal Maroc Airways, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced the Federal Government’s plan to reach 15 million households, representing 75 million people, through its conditional cash transfer scheme.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Yilwatda explained that the initiative is part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to mitigating the economic hardships faced by vulnerable Nigerians.
“The president was so specific,” Yilwatda noted.
“There are policies that he brought in to see if that can ease those challenges for people at the lower end of the pyramid. One of those policies is to reach out to 15 million beneficiaries under the conditional cash transfer, targeting households rather than individuals. Each household will receive ₦25,000 monthly, paid three times a year.”
Yilwatda further clarified that the 15 million households being targeted translate to 75 million Nigerians, assuming an average of five persons per household.
So far, the Federal Government has reached five million individuals but is facing challenges in fully sanitizing the social register, particularly with the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) policy mandating digital identities for transparency and traceability of payments.
“Currently, only 1.4 million people on the social register have digital identities. Many of those we are targeting are outside the formal banking system,” the minister disclosed.
Yilwatda emphasized that women are specifically targeted as household leaders under the program to ensure the funds are used effectively for the benefit of children and other vulnerable members of society.
The conditional cash transfer programme, which is administered under the National Social Investment Programme, had earlier been suspended by President Tinubu in January due to allegations of corruption. However, the scheme was reinstated in February, with plans to extend the initiative to an additional 12 million households.
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