Banff businesses struggle with staffing shortages as tourists return
Banff businesses struggle with staffing shortages as tourists return
Walk Banff Avenue and store after store has signs looking for help.
"Anyone you get has got six different offers from six different places," said Tim Smuin, manager at Rocky Mountain Chocolates. "It's really hard. We've tried changing our wage structure, offering bonuses."
The competitive hiring market has also left some making tough decisions in their daily operations.
"Thankfully we didn't have to close at all, just some shortened hours, and we are still hiring and we are struggling," said Rae-Anne Larkin, manager of Spirit of Christmas.
"So say on an average day we should have five staff in the store, we are functioning on three, so that's, for a store this size, that's incredibly stressful," Larkin said.
Even the iconic Rimrock Hotel is facing challenges in filling positions ahead of the summer rush.
"We going to carry about 410, 420 staff for the summer time frame and we're sitting at about 360 right now with another 25 to come in," said Rimrock general managerTrevor Long.
"It's more challenging this year,, there's just less and less people that are interested in working in the hospitality field, we have a real struggle getting applications in for the jobs, right across Banff and Lake Louise," Long said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two young ER doctors quit Montreal jobs, blaming Quebec's broken health-care system and Bill 96
Two young emergency room doctors, raised and trained in Montreal, are leaving their jobs after only two years to move back to Toronto – and they say the Quebec health-care model and Bill 96 are to blame.

Crown seeks to revoke bail for 'Freedom Convoy' organizer Tamara Lich
The Crown is seeking to revoke bail for Tamara Lich, a leader of the "Freedom Convoy," after she appeared alongside a fellow organizer in an alleged breach of her conditions.
Gunman fired 70 plus rounds at July 4 parade, 7 dead: police
The gunman who attacked an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago fired more than 70 rounds with an AR-15-style gun that killed at least seven people, then evaded initial capture by dressing as a woman and blending into the fleeing crowd, police said Tuesday.
Bank of Canada's rapid rate hikes likely to cause a recession, study finds
The Bank of Canada's strategy of rapidly increasing its key interest rate in an effort to tackle skyrocketing inflation will likely trigger a recession, says a new study released Tuesday from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Assembly National Chief Archibald takes stage at meeting despite suspension
Dressed in Indigenous regalia, National Chief RoseAnne Archibald strode into the annual Assembly of First Nations gathering in Vancouver ahead of a group of chanting supporters on Tuesday. Just the day before, Archibald said she had been 'erased' from the agenda after her suspension in June. Instead, she led opening ceremonies and welcomed attendees in her opening address.
Canada is the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden's accession to join NATO
Canada became the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden's accession protocols to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday.
Grab a seat: Passport lineups prompt Canada to urgently procure hundreds of chairs
As passport processing delays and long lineups persist at Service Canada offices, the federal government is looking to buy 801 chairs for people standing in line by the end of this week.
What we know about the Highland Park shooting suspect
Hours after gunfire interrupted the Highland Park, Illinois, July Fourth parade, killing six people and wounding dozens more, police apprehended the man they believe was responsible.
Cancelled flights have northern Ont. hospital risking ER closure
With doctor shortages causing emergency rooms around the country to shut down, a northern Ontario hospital is scrambling to stave off the same fate.