Restaurants Canada Says It’s Time To Reexamine Restrictions In Nova Scotia
HALIFAX – Restaurants in Nova Scotia are enjoying increased sales this summer compared to earlier in the pandemic when many restaurants were operating through a lockdown. The lifting of travel restrictions has brought in more tourists this year, and the hot summer weather has brought more people out to the patios to eat and drink.
Yet many operators are still struggling to make a profit, in part because of the restrictions that remain. The restriction that has caused the most problem is the social distancing rule. Because tables and groups of people must remain six feet apart, it is impossible for operators to serve a full house of patrons.
Luc Erjavec, vice president, Atlantic Canada, for Restaurants Canada, says most restaurants are only operating at 50-60 per cent capacity because of the rule.
“We still have restrictions with physical distancing – we’re operating at about a 50 per cent capacity,” he said. “There may be lots of seats on Tuesday at three o’clock in the afternoon. But on a Friday night or busier times, it would be hard to maximize your productivity.”
“It’s a very limiting factor, particularly during busier times…it really is a hindrance.”
Erjavec notes that the mask-wearing rules have also been difficult this summer for many staff. Halifax, and many other places in Nova Scotia, have been experiencing severe humidity this summer, which makes masks particularly uncomfortable during a long shift.
“It’s 28 degrees right now with high humidity. And working in a restaurant kitchen or anywhere with a mask right now, in heat, is really tough,” said Erjavec.
Restaurants Canada believes Nova Scotia needs to reexamine such restrictions, especially when looking at what other provinces are doing right now. Erjavec notes that Nova Scotia is seeing just a handful of new cases each day (there were eight new cases reported on Thursday, with 32 total active cases. When Erjavec made these comments the case numbers were lower).
“Operators are aware of what’s going on in other provinces,” said Erjavec. “You look across to the border to New Brunswick, there are no restrictions at all, of any sort in New Brunswick…PEI, they don’t wear masks. Newfoundland as of this week, they don’t wear masks.”
“We were always under the expectation that when we reach high levels of vaccination the restrictions would disappear – that’s what’s happening in many jurisdictions across Canada and across the world.”
It should be noted, however, that many observers feel New Brunswick lifted their restrictions too soon. The province reported 23 new cases on Thursday and now has 132 active cases.
Labour Shortage Also Affecting Operations
According to data from Restaurants Canada, there are 9,000 less people working in Nova Scotia restaurants right now, compared to 2019. Erjavec says the pandemic caused a “perfect storm” that created a major labour shortage.
“We lost thousands of employees when the pandemic happened and, as a result, we’re still not back to full employment,” he said.
“We couldn’t guarantee them hours, we didn’t know if we’d have another shutdown, we didn’t know what was going on.”
Many laid-off restaurant employees took other jobs in other sectors and didn’t return. Restaurants also suffered from lack of immigration over the past two years due to border restrictions. New Canadians have long been key to filling jobs in the restaurant industry, according to Erjavec.
Then there is the longstanding debate on whether government programs like CERB and CRB have allowed too many people to make money while not working.
“(Some) operators will say that some of the federal programs are disincentive to return to work,” said Erjavec. “If they can make almost the amount of money…on a federal program, people may choose not to go back to work.”
On the other side of the debate, many have argued that it’s time for many sectors to start paying higher wages and better benefits to attract workers again. Now that the federal government set a baseline of $2,000 per month in 2020 with their CERB program, people now expect higher compensation for their time and work.
Erjavec didn’t say whether he believes restaurants could, or should, pay higher wages and better benefits. But he argued that many employees in the industry already make good wages when tips are factored in. He also said many operators are adding incentives to entice new workers.
“When you speak of bartenders and servers, their income is significantly more than minimum wage, particularly when you throw in the amount they make from gratuities,” he said.
“We’ve always had to make ourselves an employer of choice…”
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