Wondering about this?

[coppertop]

Monday, Apr 24, 2006
Food industry faces labour shortage

(CBC) - People in the restaurant industry say the province's chronic labour shortage means their customers aren't getting the service they deserve.

More money is being spent in Alberta restaurants because of the economic boom, but the industry is losing staff to other jobs and it's difficult to replace them with experienced people.

Dave Kaiser, spokesperson for the Alberta Hotel Association, said the shortage is affecting the quality of service.

"There's bound to be some impact," he said. "Certainly, when you are running short-staffed, you're not able to deliver the same level of service when you are fully staffed."

Last year, the accommodation and food service industry lost close to 16,000 people. This is forcing owners and managers to hire inexperienced people or, in the case of at least one restaurateur, do the work themselves.

"We've been really busy, which is a beautiful thing," said Roxanne Taylor-King, who runs the Nellie's restaurant chain. "But it's not so beautiful when there's only one of me, and I can only be in one place. In the 10 years I've owned these stores, I've never worked this many shifts."

[cswilson]

I'm just wondering why Albertan's seem to be the biggest complainers on this board-am I envious of Alberta-not in the slightest-do I get a little tired of the whining some of them do day after day on here-you betcha. The more you have-the more you need-the more you need-the more you want. If you don't think you can make it ranching there quit-land values are high-go do something else. We'll just keep soldiering out here in the wasties.These boards are supposed to be a place to exchange productive ideas not to be a pity party sobfest.

[coppertop]

cswilson, there have been posts by farmers in other areas complaining or advising the rest of us of the hardships they are enduring in the industry.

I have never felt they were whining. Granted, there are some folks on this site that complain about everything but they aren't the majority, and hopefully you don't lump all Alberta ranchers and farmers into one group...

[blackjack]

...well cowman the heavier feeders went up 50 bucks last week...now if only those darn steers will go up another 450 bucks so i can buy me a new truck and the gas...

[farmers_son]

Cswilson raises some important points. “The more you have-the more you need-the more you need-the more you want.” I believe that is true of everyone, whatever their occupation or where in the world they live.

“If you don't think you can make it ranching there quit-land values are high-go do something else.” High land values in Alberta, at least partly fueled by an overheated energy sector, are causing quite a bit of concern for those who are looking to farm or ranch and need to expand. Yes they could move to Saskatchewan and buy some very reasonably priced land. Our ranching community could also move to the United States where cattle prices are much more profitable than in Canada; they could enjoy the fruits of protectionism and pretend BSE does not exist just like their southern neighbours. In today’s world goods and services move around the world but people are not as easily mobile. Especially for farm families their ties to their land are strong having been built over generations. There was a mass movement of people off the land in this area during the 1930s and many went to the Peace River country. Are things at the same point today…I do not know. One difference between today and the thirties is in the thirties the land ended up being farmed by the ones who stayed while today the land will end up being owned by someone out of the area who will farm it as an absentee landowner. I think that is an important distinction and it probably is happening in Saskatchewan too. What will be left?

Cowman made comparisons about the price of gas, pickups and calf prices. The price of a commodity like gas is impacted during times of war. During the 1973 war in the Middle East, crude prices tripled. The fall of the Shah of Iran in the late 70's again increased prices, as well as unprecedented volatility. The Irag-Iran was caused prices to rise. When Bush attacked Iraq the handwriting was on the wall for energy prices.

As for the price of a pickup…General Motors lost 1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2005, a further 1.2 billion in the second quarter of 2005 and yet a further 1.6 billion in the third quarter. If they keep loosing money at that rate they will soon be able to call themselves farmers. I should send them a pair of coveralls and a ball cap so at least they can look the part.

The economy cannot withstand high energy prices such as we see for any length of time before it grinds to a halt. And when we realize that many sectors of agriculture went into the high energy prices after a period of sustained economic strain the collapse would be expected to be seen there first.

Getting back to Cswilson's comment about the more you have the more you need. We may all be having and needing a little less within a couple of years.

[roly]

In Saskatchewan gas is $1.10 a Lt it has cost me $520 to put my car on the road and a 640 acre farm is $300.000

In the UK gas is £1.6 ($ 2.24 ) a Lt it cost me £915 ($1910 ) to put my car on the road and a 50 acre farm is £450.000 ($939.000)

Yes the grass is greener on the other side

[roly]

In Saskatchewan gas is $1.10 a Lt it has cost me $520 to put my car on the road and a 640 acre farm is $300.000

In the UK gas is £1.6 ($ 2.24 ) a Lt it cost me £915 ($1910 ) to put my car on the road and a 50 acre farm is £450.000 ($939.000)

Yes the grass is greener on the other side

[farmers_son]

I have been to the UK and the grass was real green over there, literally.
Beautiful country, nice people too.

[blackjack]

...and f_s that is what will happen...more absentee owners...while cswilson is stuck to his piece of property those other native saskatchewan dudes out working here in alberta will go back and push his land values up above what his cows will be able to afford...then he will be stuck wondering what happened when his low cost efficient cows can't compete with the businesses from other industries...one thing horse is right about...along there is a tax dodge for those that make money outside the business of farming ...there will always be people willing to run a cow to beat the tax man...

[coppertop]

I think in Alberta we need to do a realty check and recognize that we are a lot better off than we were before BSE, not in cash flow but in land values.

When I hear roly compare land and gasoline values it does make me realize that we are very fortunate here.