BC Restaurants Warn of Higher Food Prices Due to FWP Changes

British Columbia's restaurant industry has expressed concern over the Trudeau government's tightening of the temporary foreign worker program, saying the move will increase food prices at restaurants.

The government has banned low-wage temporary foreign workers in areas with an unemployment rate above 6 percent and raised the minimum hourly wage in BC to $34.62 for temporary workers hired under the high-wage stream. The intention is to ensure Canadian workers can find employment. However, the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association argues that restaurant sector wages cannot absorb these changes.

Lewis Hart, owner of Lowie's in Vancouver's Chinatown said that they will have to pass the increased costs on to customers because of wages, and they wouldn't be surprised if the next six months saw $30 burgers.