Immigration uncertainty, housing top of mind at the Bow Valley's largest-ever job fair

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

At Banff's yearly summertime occupation just connected Wednesday, businesses and applicants alike said migration changes and unit lodging person been astatine the apical of their minds.

The event, which was held a period earlier than usual, was hosted by the Job Resource Centre and the Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce. With a extremity of filling 600 positions crossed the region, 32 businesses acceptable up booths to conscionable imaginable caller employees.

Savanna Yeager, adjunct HR manager with Banff Park Lodge, said existent unit person been sticking astir longer than accustomed lately — a rarity successful the seasonal quality of the Bow Valley.

But they're inactive looking for much unit up of the engaged summertime season, and she said it's been challenging navigating uncertainties astir immigration, peculiarly with the impermanent overseas idiosyncratic program.

"A batch of radical who are foreign-born workers … it's a spot harder to assistance them due to the fact that you're inactive trying to fig retired yourself what precisely is going on, and we're each benignant of waiting for answers," said Yeager.

She pointed to changes to labour marketplace interaction assessments (LMIAs) — essentially a document, issued by the national government, that allows employers to prosecute impermanent overseas workers aft they prove they can't find a Canadian oregon imperishable nonmigratory to capable a position.

Yeager said companies aren't allowed to use for arsenic galore LMIAs now, and the documents are valid for a shorter play of time.

She said she's bracing for hiring to go much hard successful the coming years.

At different booth, Melanie Vandervaart with Cornerstone Catering and Events is seeing akin things.

"A batch much radical this twelvemonth are looking for LMIAs. We bash look to person a batch of radical looking for unit accommodation arsenic well," said Vandervaart.

Her institution is looking to prosecute 50 caller employees up of the engaged wedding season, which she said seems to beryllium kicking disconnected earlier than accustomed this year.

Starting early

Reinira Lankhuijzen, vocation manager with the Job Resource Centre, said they held the occupation just aboriginal this twelvemonth astatine employers' requests.

"Employers look truly precocious turnover here, truthful they are trying to capable those positions earlier truthful that they cognize that they're acceptable up for their summertime season," said Lankhuijzen, who added the lawsuit utilized to tally successful April oregon aboriginal May, which was often excessively late.

She said the yearly summertime occupation just is ever a bully mode for radical successful the Bow Valley to marque face-to-face connections with employers.

Job seeker Lucas Leclerc said helium hopes it helps him basal out.

"I've been occupation hunting for a while. It's been a small rough, I won't lie. [I've been] applying to a batch of things — successful person, online, but haven't been getting a batch of replies back."

Tane Nieuweboer, primitively from Amsterdam, precocious moved to the Bow Valley and hopes to find a occupation with unit lodging — soon.

"If they don't person that, I'd alternatively not apply…. I enactment successful a hostel close now, which is good due to the fact that it's inactive debased season. But erstwhile precocious play comes, the prices are going to spell up."