Fries, with extra dough: a Quebec poutine maker turns to patrons for help in a labour crunch

Chez Ashton is a 50-year-old institution venerated for its generous servings of golden French fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy.Even the godfather of poutine is having trouble finding staff amid Quebec’s severe labour shortage and booming economy. And he’s turning to his diners to help.

Ashton’s move highlights the difficult choices facing restaurants, retailers and other businesses as they try to attract and keep employees in a provincial economy now on a tear of 10 straight months of gross domestic product growth, the longest in the 22 years of tracking by Statistics Canada. The situation is particularly acute in the Quebec City region, where a lack of workers is now acting as a drag on business expansion, according to Desjardins Group.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Prof. Charlebois said. “The company is basically stating to the marketplace, ‘We need help. And this is food so if you want the convenience of having a poutine in the middle of the night, that’s great but you’re going to have to pay for it.’” With such a labour crunch, businesses of all kinds are resorting to unusual, aggressive and sometimes desperate strategies to maintain staffing, said Simon Gaudreault, the federation’s senior director of national research. Among the tactics being employed by business owners: working longer hours themselves, calling on family members, tapping retirees and increasing automation.

Finding staff has been a challenge for at least three years, Mr. Leblond said, forcing the company to cut operating hours at several locations. He said he relies heavily at the moment on current employees to recruit family and friends.Renaud Philippe/The Globe and Mail

scharleb globebusiness No mention of immigration here and yet that’s part of the solution, alongside higher wages to attract and retain workers. Yet, the Legault government doesn’t get this. They claim to be pro-business but being pro-business here also means being pro-immigration. cdnpoli Quebec

globebusiness At some point they will have to invest in the self-vending and food-processing technology.

globebusiness It's simple, it's basic economics. Need more labour? Pay higher wages. Can't be profitable while paying those higher wages? THEN GET FUCK OUT OF THE FREE MARKET

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