Tim Hortons - Media Statement

OAKVILLE, ON, April 25, 2014 /CNW/ - Tim Hortons applauds the Government of Canada for any steps it takes to strengthen Canadian labour markets and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), while also addressing critical labour shortages in certain markets where efforts to recruit Canadians have been exhausted to fill available positions. 

We believe this program has been vital to help ensure employers in select markets can keep all of their employees working in communities with serious labour challenges.

The government's overall approach is consistent with our own practices of focusing on hiring Canadians first, with more than 90,000 Canadians employed by our restaurant owners, and our auditing program in place for the TFWP since 2010, which has been strengthened to include mandatory independent auditing for every franchisee that accesses the program.

We support Minister Kenney's view that any abuses of this program should be dealt with harshly, and we encourage the federal government to make independent audits mandatory for every company that uses this crucial program. 

We are committed to working with the government to make this vital program better, but believe suspending access to responsible users of the program is not an answer to critical labour shortages faced in some markets.  We encourage the federal government to expedite the review process in order to protect both Canadian businesses and jobs that could be impacted without supporting access to the TFWP for labour-challenged markets with serious needs.

About Tim Hortons Inc.

Tim Hortons is one of the largest publicly-traded restaurant chains in North America based on market capitalization, and the largest in Canada. Operating in the quick service segment of the restaurant industry, Tim Hortons appeals to a broad range of consumer tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, hot and cold specialty drinks (including lattes, cappuccinos and espresso shots), specialty teas and fruit smoothies, fresh baked goods, grilled Panini and classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, prepared foods and other food products. As of December 29, 2013, Tim Hortons had 4,485 systemwide restaurants, including 3,588 in Canada, 859 in the United States and 38 in the Gulf Cooperation Council. More information about the Company is available at http://www.timhortons.com/.

SOURCE: Tim Hortons

Olga Petrycki, [phone] or [email protected]