Missing Mondays: Provincewide worker shortage forces restaurants to rethink Monday service
Inside Victoria’s iconic Dutch Bakery, a small bell rings every time an order comes through the kitchen.
Since Labour Day weekend, the bell hasn’t rung once at the Fort Street diner on a Monday.
"Being open six days a week was just no longer a functional option for us,” said co-owner Michelle Bryne.
“So, since the Labour Day weekend we've been closed Mondays."
Like so many restaurants in B.C., the pastry proprietor has been forced to shift hours of operation because of a major lack of staff.
The Dutch Bakery is now closed Sundays and Mondays so the staff it has kept through the pandemic doesn’t burn out.
"This is certainly not how we wanted to do business,” Bryne told CTV News Vancouver Island.
Victoria’s Downtown Business Association has watched as the restaurant industry has been pushed to new limits during the COVID-19 crisis.
It says many food service operators are now toying with hours in a way they have never before, all in hopes of staying afloat with so few staff.
"It's not like they've been having a great year-and-a-half,” said Jeff Bray, the business association’s executive director.
“It's been very tight all along and this is just another impact of COVID-19.”
Province-wide, the B.C. Foodservice and Restaurant Association estimates the industry is short more than 40,000 workers.
"It's going to be 10 years in B.C. before we have enough workers to handle our own economy,” said Ian Tostenson, the association’s president and CEO.
“That's why immigration is so important and why we are in such trouble now."
The Development Bank of Canada recently released a survey suggesting 55 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses cannot find enough staff.
The survey found the lack of workers is stunting the financial growth of the businesses in a major way.
Back at the Dutch Bakery, owners say hiring staff is nearly impossible right now, meaning they don’t expect Mondays will be coming back any time soon.
"Definitely for the foreseeable future; there just aren't people who want to work," Bryne said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.