Canadian Tire Hires 60 Workers From Mexico

Canadian Tire Hires 60 Workers From Mexico

Canadian Press
The Vancouver Sun
Novwmber 15, 2006

Calgary—“Give like Santa, save like Scrooge” might be overtaken by “Feliz Navidad” as the holiday motto for some Canadian Tire stores in Alberta this year.

The province's labour shortage has that most quinessential of Canuck retailers looking south of thhe border–way south–for workers.

Outlets in Calgary, Red Deer and Airdrie hired 60 Mexican workers on the weekend.

Flying them in and housing them for a year isn't cheap, but it's become necessary to secure labourers, Raj Sharma, a Calgary immigration lawyer who helped with the deal, said Tuesday.

He said the stores pay for round-trip airfare, medical insurance, and accomodations.

“It's a significant financial burden on the employers, but they are paying it now because they've got dedicated labour for a year,” he said.