Businessnews 2 EDITORCLAIRE WILSON | Jasleen Kaur, a second-year health sciences student, says that the 20-hour work limit does not provide enough pay for daily living. According to Vancouver MP Jenny Kwan, many international students are willing to work and would benefit from restrictions being lifted. WariLyn REICHERT PHOTO Changes to 20-hour work limit could solve the labour crisis By MARILYN REICHERT he lifting of COVID-19 restrictions has refocused attention to the ongoing labour shortage in the hospitality and tourism industry. Some believe that international students have the potential to take on work to fill that shortage but are restricted by federal government work regulations. Jenny Kwan, NDP member of Parliament for Vancouver East, advocates for the lifting of restric- tions on the working hours placed on international student visas. “It is important for the interna- tional students to meet their financial needs while they're here in Canada, and international students tend to pay a much higher fee in compari- son to the domestic students,” Kwan said. According to Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the British Columbia Restaurant and Food- services Association, there is a shortage of 30,000 in the foodser- vices industry in British Columbia which normally has 190,000 work- ers. Kwan says that international students studying in Canada could help to fill the gap but are limited to working 20 hours per week on their student visas. “Since the students are here already, and if they're ready, will- ing, and able to work, then I think we should lift those limitations and allow them to work,” Kwan said. “That would not only help the students financially, but it would also help with the worker shortage.” She said the Canadian govern- ment should value the contribu- tions that students have made while studying in Canada. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 | THE VOICE 3 Jasleen Kaur, a second-year health sciences student, would like to see changes to the hourly restrictions. “If we are limited to just 20 hours, our basic needs are not met,” Kaur said. “We find it quite difficult to maintain our stay.” Because of the labour shortage, Karen Lewis, general manager of Grey Line Westcoast Sightseeing, said that they are rethinking their approach to recruitment as well as revisiting wages. Lewis believes the labour shortage needs can be met by international students. “When the cruise ship season starts, we will include them. They’re all very keen and enthusiastic and we appreciate the ones I’ve been able to talk to over the last couple months of learning how tourism works in the city,” she said. “So absolutely, they will be a huge part of our workforce in helping welcome guests back.” Jobs will also be available in hospi- tality. “Because of the effects of the pandemic, we're also looking for cooks, chefs and servers ... what we refer to as front of the house and back to the house,” said Tostenson. He encourages international students to be a part of meeting the labour shortage. “You'll learn great people skills, marketing skills, scheduling skills. And money is good too,” said Tostenson. Stacy Chala, communications manager with the Capilano Group, encourages international students to apply for as many jobs as possible, even as a part-time worker. “It is a super fun industry for people to work in and get to meet people from around the world,” Chala said. “They can showcase why they’re here and why they're learn- ing and why they're wanting to be in tourism.” Paper cups are out, reusable cups are in Tim Hortons now accepts personal mugs as COVID protocols end By KENNETH WONG tarting April 6, guests at Tim S Hortons will receive a 10-cent discount on beverages if they bring a cup from home. Select Tim Hortons restaurants will be reintro- ducing reusable in-restaurant mugs, plates and cutlery to serve customers. For the first time, guests will also be able to order cold beverages in their reusable cups. Tim Hortons stopped accepting reusable cups during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the health and safety of employees and customers. “Tthink it’s good, it provides awareness because more students are on a budget so it’s good, but also because of the environment.” — MAFER GARCIA, LANGARA STUDENT oes The classic Tims cup will soon be replaced by reusable mugs that customers bring from home. Students say the move is good for the environment but that the hassle to bring cups to school may not be worth the fuss. KENNETH WONG PHOTO But the pandemic restrictions created enormous amounts of waste. In 2019, when the coffee shop fran- chise allowed customers to use their own cups, it reduced usage of single- use cups by 15 million. Many Tim Hortons customers at the Langara cafeteria like the initia- tive but are unsure how effective this change will be. “I think it’s good, it provides awareness because more students are on a budget so it’s good, but also because of the environment,” said Langara student Mafer Garcia. “There’s more people that are envi- ronment conscious and bring- ing their own mugs but sometimes you're in a rush in the morning you just bring your bag and forget about it,” she said. Langara student Gen Aiba is concerned that students won't be able to bring their own cups due to limited space in their bags. “I can't, I have to save my space for my backpack, it’s also limited it as well,” Aiba said. To maintain health and safety standards, Tim Hortons will not be serving guests with cracked or visibly damaged mugs. Langara student Dhairya Joshi thinks the franchise needs to give more incentive for customers to bring their own cups. “Maybe they could start a promo- tion or give out free rewards, like free coffee and stuff, if they’re bringing their own cups,” Joshi said. “Once they start getting rewards [people will bring their own cups], like free coffee, why not?” Guests will also soon be able to use the company app to order ahead and let the restaurant know they will be bringing their own cup. Team members will prepare their beverage in a clean reusable cup then transfer the contents to the guest’s cup. “We've been looking forward to accepting reusable cups in restau- rants again and have been working hard with Tim’s restaurant owners to ensure we do so safely and consis- tently,” said Paul Yang, senior direc- tor of innovation and sustainability for Tim Hortons, in a press release. An employee of Tim Hortons located at Fraser Street and 43rd Avenue emphasized that hygiene practices remains a top priority for the franchise. “That’s one thing we're looking at closely, getting rid of exposure to anything COVID-related,” he said.