Cook shortage causes popular Taj Mahal restaurant to close on weekends
Gabrielle Fahmy | CBC News | Posted: January 9, 2018 5:50 PM | Last Updated: January 9, 2018
After unsuccessful search in Canada, owner applies to bring in temporary foreign worker and is turned down
The owner of a popular downtown Moncton restaurant said it's become so difficult to find a qualified cook that he's being forced to close on weekends.
Mohinder Jit Singh, the owner of the Taj Mahal restaurant, said the decision was made with a heavy heart.
"It's really difficult," Singh said. "Saturday and Sunday are our busiest days."
Singh opened the restaurant 15 years ago after his family moved to Moncton from Toronto.
The Main Street business is usually always busy.
But it's been hard to find experienced Indian cooks in the Maritimes.
"Cooking our food is a little difficult," said son Steven Singh, who helps managing the restaurant.
"You have to know the intricacies of the spices, and how they interact, and not to burn them. Otherwise you'll lose the curry."
One of the restaurant's two long-serving cooks left in September, and Singh tried to hire someone from here, without any luck.
"I tried everywhere within Canada to hire some people, but no one was applying for the job," said Mohinder Jit Singh.
That's when he turned to the temporary foreign workers program. But the process proved much more difficult than it had in the past.
Changes in 2013
For that, Singh blames changes made under the previous federal government.
In 2013, the Conservatives overhauled the temporary foreign workers program, making it more difficult and more expensive for businesses to turn to foreign workers to fill job vacancies in Canada.
The move was made to ensure Canadians get first crack at available jobs, but Singh said it's hurt many small businesses such as his.
After finding an experienced cook in India, Singh waited months for a response from the federal government.
In December, he found out the application had been rejected.
He was told the worker didn't speak enough English and didn't have the skills to do the job — two things he claims aren't true, arguing officials didn't interview the applicant to know what his language skills were.
Singh said a technical mistake in the application was also cited as one of the reasons it was denied.
"They refused our application without any solid reason," Singh said. "The reason they gave us, I don't agree with it. It's very unfair."
The temporary foreign workers program is run jointly by Employment and Social Development Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Employment and Social Development officials said that they approved their part of the application, based on a labour market analysis, but that the worker still had to apply for a work permit from Immigration.
The Immigration Depatment said it could not comment on a particular case, citing privacy reasons.
Taken a toll on family
Singh and his son have been working the kitchen in the meantime, but this has taken a toll on the family.
"I'm 64 years old now," Singh said. "So I can't work much. And my son is in the learning stage.
"I have no choice left."
The Singhs aid they've contacted the office of their local MP, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, hoping for help persuading immigration officials to reconsider.
Singh had hopes of growing the business, maybe even opening a second location, but given his current struggles, he's had to put that on hold.
"If I have another cook, I can expand my business, I can hire more people," he said. "But it's not happening."