Canadians share concerns at popular Alberta restaurant known for its classic American diner experience

Alberta's provincial flag flies in Ottawa on July 6, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

As part of CTV News’ coverage of the 37-day federal election, journalists will be telling stories from communities across the country to showcase issues that matter to Canadians in this election. Our next dispatch is from CTV News reporter Kathy Le in Bowden, Alberta.

Nestled along the busy traffic of the QE II highway in central Alberta, the Starlite Diner Car is hard to miss. The restaurant is a staple of Bowden, a small town inhabited by an older population with a growing number of young families, with a population of just over 1,200.

The owner of Starlite Diner Car, Scott Shaw, has been operating his establishment for 13 years.

Foot traffic to his restaurant is steady. Patrons love the traditional diner fare such as burgers and milkshakes.

On this day, guests enjoy their meals while chatting about important issues with the federal election at the back of their minds.

Travis Redgwell and his family, who are from Olds, Alta., are frequent visitors to the Diner.

He says finding employment is a priority for him. He just graduated from post-secondary school last year and is struggling to find a job.

“I have worked contract-to-contract jobs for the past five years and I cannot find permanent full-time employment that utilizes my degree.”

As Travis tries to kick-start his career, his mom, Jaeme, is trying to wind down hers. She says it might take longer than initially planned.

“We have made our best efforts to invest and to pay into retirement savings,” said Jaeme.

“But seeing what has been happening over the last four or five years has really kind of made us wonder if we’ll be able to retire when we’re supposed to.”

Affordability is also at the top of mind for Shaw.

“The costs have been going up a lot. You know, especially in the restaurant, when we track our food cost, which we do, it’s not high profits in restaurants. It’s always a tight market and I don’t see it getting better.”

Shaw says the affordability issue aligns with another one that’s been dominating the world - tariffs.

“I’m concerned that the whole global economy and trade is going to be affected,” he said.

David Sims, from Calgary, operates a business and ships items to the United States. He says tariffs are also a big concern for him. Currently, his product is exempt from them, but the uncertainty is worrisome.

“It’s a question of how the rules are going to change again and not knowing,” said Sims.

Tariffs and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Canada are major concerns for Canadians. The latter issue put Bowden in the spotlight in February when a billboard promoting Canada as the 51st state popped up for a couple of weeks across the highway from the Starlite Diner Car.

Robb Stuart, mayor of Bowden, says a private business paid for the sign and although the town had nothing to do with it, it was criticized.

“People get so worked up over things, and they want to blame somebody. So they just lash out at whatever the closest entity is,” he said.

Back at the restaurant, while the establishment offers a classic American diner experience for its customers, Shaw says that’s as far as it goes.

“It’s freedom of speech and people can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, I support Canada.”

He wants to see the country prosper, suggesting that removing interprovincial trade barriers and getting energy to different markets.

“We need to kind of think outside the box. We got to do things differently.”