Tim Hortons dialing back use of Temporary Foreign Workers, aims to recruit 10,000 ‘local team members’

Adrian Ghobrial has more on the iconic American brand Dunkin Donuts looking to take a bite out of Canada’s lucrative market for everything donuts and coffee.

Tim Hortons is launching a campaign that aims to recruit 10,000 “new, local team members,” as the number of temporary foreign workers (TFW) in its restaurants declines.

In a release sent out on Monday, the multinational coffee chain said that out of 110,000 Tim Hortons employees, 4,000 were hired through the TFW program – a number it said “has declined steadily since 2024.”

Currently, that number represents about 3.6 per cent of all of its restaurant roles.

The company said that during the pandemic, when there were “acute labour shortages” across Canada, it encouraged the federal government to increase access to the TFW program “to help restaurants facing staffing challenges and lobbied them to maintain greater access when they announced plans to limit applications.”

However, in light of high youth unemployment, “lobbying for expanded access is no longer necessary.”

The newly launched hiring spree comes on the heels of the company’s announcement that it will expand its footprint by opening 80 new restaurants in Canada and renovating 400 others.

Tim Hortons said 340 restaurant owners in the country are investing $270 million, while the corporation is supplying an additional $130 million.

Currently, 1,500 restaurant owners, or franchisees, operate 4,000 Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada.

With files from CTV News’ Christl Dabu