Tim Hortons has committed to hiring 10,000 local employees<\/strong> across Canada, marking a significant shift away from its reliance on the federal Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program<\/strong> \u2014 a move that comes as youth unemployment climbs to its highest levels in years.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The coffee chain says 400 hiring events<\/strong> have already taken place throughout March and April, with the local recruitment drive set to continue for the remainder of the year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Tim Hortons communications director Michael Oliveira<\/strong> pushed back on the perception that the chain has been heavily dependent on foreign labour. “Our restaurant owners have always been committed to local hiring. We think one of the biggest misperceptions about Tim Hortons is how the TFW program has been used,” Oliveira told CBC News.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n According to the company, only 4,000 employees<\/strong> \u2014 roughly 3.6 per cent<\/strong> of its restaurant workforce \u2014 are currently employed through the TFW program, and only in communities with documented labour shortages.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Tim Hortons turned to the program following the COVID-19 pandemic, citing a national worker shortage that emerged in 2021. The federal government temporarily doubled the allowable proportion of temporary foreign workers from 10 to 20 per cent<\/strong> of a business’s workforce in 2022, with food service operators permitted to go as high as 30 per cent<\/strong>. Ottawa rolled that cap back to 10 per cent in 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The chain’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International<\/strong>, had actively lobbied the federal government to preserve the program. Federal lobbying registry records show the company was engaging Ottawa on TFW-related immigration policy as recently as 2025.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The company’s use of temporary foreign labour had drawn criticism from both Conservative and NDP<\/strong> politicians. Tim Hortons now says that lobbying is no longer necessary, and current registry records show immigration policy has been dropped from Restaurant Brands’ government discussions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The shift reflects a changed economic landscape. Youth unemployment rose to 14.3 per cent<\/strong> in April, according to Statistics Canada, more than double the overall national unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The hiring announcement comes alongside significant growth plans. Tim Hortons said Friday it intends to open 80 new restaurants<\/strong> across Canada before year’s end, while renovating another 400 existing locations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Ontario<\/strong> will receive the largest share of new outlets, with 26 new locations<\/strong> planned, followed by Alberta<\/strong> with 17 and Quebec<\/strong> with 14.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The expansion is backed by 340 restaurant owners<\/strong> investing a combined $270 million<\/strong>, with the corporation contributing an additional $130 million<\/strong>. Tim Hortons currently operates 4,000 restaurants<\/strong> across Canada through approximately 1,500 franchisees<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The moves come as Tim Hortons faces renewed competition. Montreal-based Foodtastic<\/strong> announced earlier this month that it has reached a deal to bring Dunkin’<\/strong> back to the Canadian market, six years after the American chain exited the country in 2018. Foodtastic CEO Peter Mammas<\/strong> told CBC News the first location could open within six months, with hundreds more to follow.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tim Hortons Pledges 10,000 Local Hires as It Scales Back Temporary Foreign Worker Program Tim Hortons has committed to hiring 10,000 local employees across Canada, marking a significant shift away from its reliance on the federal Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program \u2014 a move that comes as youth unemployment climbs to its highest levels in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHiring Events Already Underway<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
A Narrow But Contested Reliance on Foreign Workers<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Rising Youth Unemployment Reshapes the Labour Market<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Expansion Plans and New Competition<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n