Business leaders in Fort St. John, B.C., say a lack of provincial buy-in for recent changes to the temporary foreign worker program could have huge impacts on the local economy.

Last month, the federal government re-announced a planned expansion of the program allowing rural businesses to increase their temporary workforce from 10 to 15 per cent.

It’s a change Premier David Eby has signalled the province will likely not support. 

But Tiffany Hetenyi, executive director for the Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce, says without these workers, there could be major disruptions. 

“The prediction is that by 2027, half of our foreign workers are going to have to go home and we’re going to be left with a huge deficit of employees,” Hetenyi said.

“Businesses will either have to reduce their hours or possibly even close.”

Fort St. John and Dawson Creek city councils have recently sent letters to Eby and Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon sharing similar concerns, and asking them to reconsider opting into the expansion.

“The cap is drastically limiting our businesses,” Hetenyi said.

“Yes, they’ve increased it five per cent, but that’s not going to even touch how many people we need to keep in our community.”

Province says it wasn’t consulted

In a written statement, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills says its reviewing the recent changes to the temporary foreign worker program.

“As B.C. was not consulted prior to the announcement of federal policy change, we need to consider it carefully before deciding whether or not the Province will opt-in,” a spokesperson.

“We should have more to say in the coming weeks.”

Eby has previously said temporary workers aren’t the solution to B.C.’s labour shortages, and he wants more pathways to permanent residency and citizenship for workers already in the province.

“We have advocated to the federal government on multiple occasions that … British Columbia deserves the same opportunity as the provincial government of Quebec to direct, permanent, long-term citizenship path labour opportunities,” Eby said last month.

Temporary workers a ‘last resort’

The federal expansion would also grant eligible workers an automatic one-year extension on their work permits.

It’s an olive branch restaurant owner Brian Boresky says the province should take.

He operates 11 McDonald’s restaurants across northern B.C., and faces the prospect of losing about 30 employees in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek if the province chooses not to.

“The oil and gas industry takes up a lot of the workforce,” Boresky said, noting that he can’t always hire students for daytime and overnight shifts.

“It’s a very costly program and it’s used as the last resort.”

Boresky says he’s sponsored hundreds of his workers to become permanent residents over the last 20 years, many of whom have gone on to fill other in-demand jobs.

“We need these people. They’re in banking, they’re in the health-care system, they work at the hospital, they’re throughout this whole town,” Boresky said.

“I’m not asking to bring any more people in. All I’m asking is, keep the people here. They’re renting apartments, they’re paying taxes, they’re contributing to this town.”

High demand for immigration pilot

The northeast is one of three regions in B.C. taking part in the federal Rural Community Immigration Pilot, which gives temporary workers a pathway to permanent residency.

Hetenyi says the program received 300 applicants for only 60 spots.

“We have an overwhelming number of people applying and they’re looking at more management, harder-to-fill positions,” Hetenyi said.

Ovvian Castrillo-Hill provides settlement services to newcomers in Fort St. John through S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

She says her clients would welcome more pathways to permanent residency and local businesses know their needs best.

“I would suspect that the provincial decisions is probably taking into consideration big city centres and I suppose with a broad brush,” Hill said.

“Because we are coming from more of a rural city setting, it’s unfortunate that some of those rules might not be the best for us.”

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