things get more expensive !

[anisotropy]

The Canadian govt had just revised the temp foreign worker program. It used to allow employers, typically food and hospitality service providers, to hire foreign workers on a temp basis. The temp workers still get paid the local min wage but are cheaper and easier to manage than say some local kids.

It was a widespread practice to "abuse" this program, the businesses kept their cost down and was able to offer their "quality services and products for a low price." (lol sure if you call $8 for a big mac meal low price)

From what I heard some kid working at Mcd blew the whistle on this because his hours got cut. Well now the govt changed the rules:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Food+service+wages+will+rise+temporary+foreign+worker+changes/9967596/story.html

Let's throw away all the morals and politics and just focus on the numbers. Essentially this is the same result of a wage increase (employers have to pay more to workers, even though existing local workers are not making more), and bam, 5 to 10% price increase for the rest of us.

Enjoy it when wage increase comes to where you live :)

[Zikoris]

To my understanding, the bulk of these workers are going to places like fast food joints.

So you could just stop eating fast food. Bam, no price increase.

Anecdote: I used to work for a Tim Horton's in Alberta when I was going to school. They COULD NOT find enough local people to keep the place running, and used the program heavily. They also hired pretty much any local person who walked through the door, but there just weren't enough, especially for graveyards - working in the oil industry just pays so much more. They did manage to hire local people for maybe 30% of the positions, and actively tried to hire more. I don't know if they'll still be able to run the place now.

[anisotropy]

yes, the bulk of the TFW work in fast food joints. there are others....however:

cleaning crew when the lights go out, room service at hotels and resorts, big retail stores like W or Cdn tire, planting sensors for oil exploration. And these are just the ones I am aware of. I am of the belief that they are everywhere, we just don't notice them in our daily lives.

To quote the film Dirty Pretty Things:

"How come I've never seen you people before?"

"Because we are the people you do not see. We are the ones that drive your cabs. We clean your rooms, and suck your c*cks."