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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.