From concrete finishing to heating, cooling and mechanical labour, local businesses say they’re struggling — not just to find qualified workers but retain them as well.
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 55 per cent of small businesses are affected by labour shortages.
One of the hardest-hit sectors, experts say, is restaurants.
Aside from big-name fast food joints, local eateries such as La Rucola, Salt Sushi and Armando’s all have jobs posted online for local recruitment.
But according to Dave Deluzio, executive professional at Roseland Golf and Curling Club, they are not seeing the same amount of people applying as they previously would.
For applicants they do make the cut, however, Deluzio adds they bail on the opportunity shortly after being offered a position.
"We've had people qualified for the job. They seem excited and then, after a couple of days, they decide the job isn't for them.”
In response, some employers are promising incentives.
"If we find some kids with a bit of ambition, we will pay for the schooling, their gas licence, whatever it may be. We help them with all of that,” said Grant Higginbottom of Syles Mechanical.
“We are looking for sheet metal workers, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and electricians. We’ve been looking for everybody.”
Meanwhile, Bonduelle is looking to hire both seasonal and full-time workers by offering a $1,500 signing bonus in hopes of attracting more applicants.
In the public safety sector, Windsor police is looking to recruit people by setting up booths at community events.
Salman Rushdie, whose novel 'The Satanic Verses' drew death threats from Iran's leader in the 1980s, was stabbed in the neck and abdomen Friday by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York.
Anne Heche remains on life support and under evaluation for organ donation after a car crash that led to her brain death, a representative for the actor said Friday.
The FBI recovered documents that were labelled 'top secret' from former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court papers released Friday after a federal judge unsealed the warrant that authorized the unprecedented search this week.
A plane bound for Toronto has been forced to divert to Iceland after a Canadian man allegedly became violent and tried to open the aircraft door mid-air.
Canadian Adam Oake is among volunteers delivering aid to civilians in Ukraine, but he says donations are drying up and he's issuing a plea for help.
Canadian universities reported record-high surplus revenues in wake of the pandemic as schools took advantage of last year's strong stock market performance.
Despite a police misconduct probe that found a high-ranking B.C. officer had stalked and harassed his ex-girlfriend for years, a criminal investigation into the case did not result in charges.
Canada plans to start testing wastewater for poliovirus in a number of cities “as soon as possible” following new reports of cases abroad, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed on Friday.
A man went on a shooting rampage in the streets of this western Montenegro city Friday, killing 10 people, including two children, before being shot dead by a passerby, officials said.
When Carmelo Mazza went to get his mail on Friday morning, he never imagined on his walk home he would witness a car crash into his home at the exact spot he typically sits.
The deadline for candidate registration is one week away, and still, several ridings in Waterloo region have wards with no candidates named.
Missing boater, Jack Glaves of Tilsonburg, Ont. has been located deceased in Lake Erie.
Businesses in border cities are calling on the government to lift COVID-19 border restrictions, including suspending the controversial ArriveCan app.
A man charged with arson in connection with the River Road clubhouse fire has had the charge withdrawn.
A family is sharing their heartache in the hope of finding lost items taken from the gravesite of their young daughter.
A broken elevator at an Angus seniors complex is finally back up and running, but residents are asking why it took so long to fix.
Investigators have released the name of a 26-year-old Barrie man shot to death Thursday afternoon while attending a funeral for another man shot dead in Toronto earlier in the week.
While improving, air traffic in the Sault is currently at three-quarters of pre-COVID-19 pandemic numbers.
It was standing room only inside the Noelville Community Centre on Friday morning as Memorial Cup winner Philippe Daoust made a triumphant return home to French River.
It's national Farmers' Market Week and few are more thankful for farmers in Timmins than Rock Whissell.
All eastbound and westbound lanes of Hwy. 417 are closed between Metcalfe Street and Carling/Kirkwood Avenues for the replacement of the Booth Street Bridge. The closure will continue until Monday at 6 a.m.
Salman Rushdie, whose novel 'The Satanic Verses' drew death threats from Iran's leader in the 1980s, was stabbed in the neck and abdomen Friday by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York.
An Ottawa family has a story for a lifetime after delivering their newborn in the hallway of the Queensway Carleton Hospital.
A plane bound for Toronto has been forced to divert to Iceland after a Canadian man allegedly became violent and tried to open the aircraft door mid-air.
Canadian punk rock band Teenage Head has said they will go forward with their upcoming shows following the murder of founding member and guitarist Gord Lewis.
Doug Ford's live news conference on Friday was unexpectedly interrupted after the premier swallowed and choked on a bee.
A group challenging Quebec's new language law logged a first legal victory against the legislation on Friday, as a judge temporarily suspended a provision requiring English court documents to be translated into French.
Streets are reopening in Montreal East, though a major police operation is ongoing following a shooting overnight Thursday into Friday.
A 24-year-old Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed Thursday in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighbourhood. Montreal police (SPVM) said it's possible the stabbing was a work-related conflict, as the victim and suspect are coworkers.
Halifax police say a city park that has been used as an encampment for homeless people has been cleared out and fenced off.
The provincial government’s Department of Health confirmed the case in a news release Friday evening.
Newfoundland and Labrador officials say the state of emergency called last weekend because of raging wildfires in the centre of the province will end on Saturday.
The number of fatal drownings in Manitoba has police and experts issuing a reminder to Manitobans about how quickly fun in the water can turn tragic.
Winnipeg police have arrested and charged two women from Ontario in connection to grandparent scams in the city.
Beach conditions are good across Manitoba this week, according to the Province.
Police and the Calgary Humane Society have launched a joint investigation after seizing 42 animals from a northeast Calgary property Friday morning.
A small wildfire was burning Friday night around 8:30 p.m., according to the national park's Twitter feed.
Which quarterback will grab the spotlight is a prominent subplot of Saturday's divisional clash between the B.C. Lions and host Calgary Stampeders.
A UCP MLA shook her head in frustration and said "wow" while walking away from a microphone Friday, as the fallout continued over an "abhorrent" essay that her government awarded.
With the start of a new school year now weeks away, local charities say more people are turning to them to help provide school supplies than ever before.
Seven candidates scrambled Friday to sign up last-minute memberships in Alberta's United Conservative Party leadership race while political observers say that without hard data on which contender has a leg up, follow the feet.
A union representing tens of thousands of government workers handed the B.C. government 72 hours' strike notice Friday afternoon.
On the surface it’s a food festival, but the purpose of the inaugural B.C. Dumpling Festival is to fight racism by bridging cultures through dumplings.
Vancouver police are warning the public that a high-risk sex offender released from prison Friday morning has gone missing from his halfway house in the city.
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