Tim Hortons says it intends to hire 10,000 “local” workers in the coming months and scale back its use of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program, adding there could be more opportunities for younger Canadians to find a job.
This comes as youth unemployment shot up to over 14 per cent in April.
But at least one expert says this may only amount to a drop in the bucket when it comes to fighting youth unemployment in Canada.
“It’s not going to bring youth unemployment down to the adult unemployment levels,” says economics professor Moshe Lander at Concordia University.
“For anybody who thinks that, ‘Hey, 10,000 jobs will solve the youth unemployment problem’ — no way. There’s easily a million youth that could be using jobs right now.”
In a release sent out Monday, the coffee and doughnut chain said these hiring plans also include positions at 80 new locations to open this year across Canada. Tim Hortons also plans on renovating existing locations and overhauling its products and services.
The company says its hiring plans are “part of the brand’s strong, ongoing commitment to hire locally, whenever possible, in every community we serve.”
Get daily National news
The Temporary Foreign Worker program allows businesses in Canada to hire some international workers to help fill gaps in the labour force, depending on the market and demand needs. These can be seen in agriculture, as well as some retail sectors — especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the federal government has been gradually scaling back the number of TFW permits to match Canada’s struggling job market and amid a bigger push to rein in immigration, especially temporary immigration.
“However, today in 2026, with high youth unemployment nationally, lobbying for expanded access is no longer necessary.”
- U.S. inflation hits 3-year high with gas prices climbing amid Iran war
- Are headlights too bright? Nearly 380K Canadians told Ottawa their answer
- Interest in ‘The Clifton’ multi-million dollar condos a reflection of Edmonton real estate
- Breakfast brewskies: Alberta bars, restaurants now allowed to serve alcohol at 6 a.m.
It is not clear how many of the new job openings will prioritize applications from Canadian youth, nor does it say how many additional TFWs could still be added.
It also isn’t clear how much these jobs will pay.
Tim Hortons says that of the roughly 110,000 employees across the company, about 4,000 hold positions under the TFW program.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner spoke to reporters in Ottawa on Monday and was asked about the announcement from Tim Hortons.
“I read the articles and the statements that that chain made, and they’re still asking for TFWs,” she said.
“That’s why we’re calling for the abolishing of the TFW program and replace it with a standalone program for seasonal agricultural labour that’s legitimately hard to fill.”
Lander says Tim Hortons may also be looking out for its own interests as a new player, Dunkin’ Donuts, enters the market.
“No company does anything outside of the profit motive. So this is not an act of altruism,’ says Lander
Lies the company and media pushing
Lies. They have a job board on the Canadian government’s website for foreign workers only… They hired a foreign worker over my nephew just yesterday. They’re lying.
Damage has been done, hard to fix something that has been run into the ground.
Wouldn’t be because Dunkin’ donuts is making a large comeback in a big way
Too late singh hortons, your establishments are trash.
It’s about time tim Horton s realized there mistake we have to take care of our own first
Liberal Government FILLED Canada to the brim with Indians from India (So the Liberals have more voting power and make a “few” bucks) …gave them TEMPORARY student VISAs…(most failed their schooling, they never went back home after their visas expired with their newfound knowledge, but instead brought over their OLD PEOPLE?!?). But how do they afford to live here? Make it super cheap for employers to hire FOREIGNERS off the banana boat and call it a “support program”? Ha haha, good one scammers. …ultimately leading to the already born and raised Canadians that have been established here for over 50 years+, pushing the young youth out of a job for the past 10 years, a job that is the backbone for their critical financial earnings so that these young entiled Canadians are on their way to pay for their schooling and ultimately set them up for success as an adult as a proud law abiding Candian citizen.
But the Liberals would rather pocket tons of money from these foreigners through universities/collages. Now we have a surplus of these places and teachers. Oh, no more foreigners, bye bye teachers..yeah screwed over your own Liberal strung teachers (80% of teachers are Liberals).
Oh, and why are these people coming into our country… running from war? Nope; Money money money…Government Money 🥳.
Worst Fake Government ever…
JT. school drama teacher / ski instructor…totally knows how to run a country.
Finance minister…was a journalist, not an ounce of math background.
Now a Banker run the country? Why? Why not someone who actually knows politics with a reputable intellectual background that cares around already established Canadian Citizens? Would be nice. Why is my food and living expenses SO HIGH!!!
That’s cuz Dunk’n donuts is coming. Tim Hortons has shifted to canadian workers instead of foreign workers. They betrayed Canadian workers that’s why when Dunk’n comes I’m leaving Timmies. Was a devoted Timmies person…not no more.
The big guys and govt work with lobbies for their benefits while pitting the rest of us against each other with lies. Classic. One side, with valid concerns, is called racist. The other side (who are not very vocal) who beleive there’s enough for everyone are all clubbed into one ‘dishonest’ category and fed to the racists, no matter how honest they are. Lose lose..creates more victims on both sides who can then be paid less anyway.
Too late Hortons , I switched to McDonalds coffee years ago. It’s so much better. I never have, never will forget you not allowing unvaccinated kids to go to camp. I hope you sink.
Too late.
Surprised they had Crosby and not a Bollywood star in their ads.
great idea. However I wonder if Canadian kids can work as hard as the Philippine people do?
When you go to India…are there all white people working in there restaurant? Also ..are all the cab drivers white…just asking.
Sounds great! You’re basically saying jobs are going to be freed up for other people to apply. Teenagers back to working normal part time jobs and local Canadian born people who are struggling to find work to make ends meet because our economy is in shambles, can actually get these part time jobs. I don’t see a problem lady, stop the program
Hahahahaha THE DUNKIN DONUTS THREAT IS REAL. A dollar short and a day late Singh Hortons. You’re done.
Way overdue. Stop the program…Now!
Iv seen proof that Tim Hortons lobbied the govt for MORE temporary foreign workers ONE WEEK AGO!!! Theyr still lying to Canadians..Shameful!
They wanted diversity and only picked from one demographic. Same with security, so diverse. Now Dunkin Donuts is entering the market, high chance theyll do the same there..DunkinDeepus.
canadians are sick of seeing indians dirtying up their restaurants they want clean food it’s so disgusting
Indians only hire Indians
Its about Time. Our kids can’t get jobs or part time in any city area but lots of Non 🇨🇦 keep messing up our orders. Time 🇨🇦 took back 🇨🇦 it has been a complete embarrassment to 🇨🇦
Tim Horton’s became third rate when they began hiring the third world.
Just go to any tim hortons drive though. When they open the window, you can literally see the body odor seeping over the ledge. Im not eating something that has been fermenting with garbage.
Shame, tims used to have good food and kind workers. Now its just another thing ruined by 3rd world imports. Hope the cheap labor is worth it!
Why does this program even exist? For companies to take advantage of it and figure out the loopholes to save themselves money? My kids/nephews/nieces want to work and they have been looking for MONTHS and there is no opportunity anywhere. Pathetic.
This shouldn’t be news as they should have always hired local Canadians. The people have seen and will choose alternate places to spend their money.
Too little, too late
Too little too late.
Haven’t set foot on a Tim Hortons property in years, don’t intend to amend that.
Tim Hortons was a beloved brand until it turned it’s back on the people who made it the success that it was.
Feel free to leave M Singh.
Now you want to hire Canadians? When you find out your business is going to take a hit. The hell with all of you. You hired foreign workers over Canadians and profited from it.
You’ll never get my families business again.
Wow, the level of racist vitriol here is off the charts! It’s just coffee people, if you don’t like it, spend your money elsewhere. Btw, the quality at Tim’s deteriorated long before foreign workers were brought in.
As patriotic Canadians, you would be better to redirect your energies toward our bloated government officials who have been wasting our money at every turn and overtaxing us in the process.
As someone else mentioned here, be kind to people. Please and thank you!
Not going to happen. Hindus own most of them, that’s why they’re so shty now. Tim must be rolling over in his grave
While I agree with all these comments basically stating we are fed up with one nationality working at Tim’s, I am still shocked at the amount of people that line up at the drive thru dying to punish their pallets. Just sayin!
No more idiotic indians please.
I went to the Tim Hortons in Morris Mb. On Sunday while traveling home and it was disgusting , ordered a egg and bacon on a bun it was cold and Probably from the day before threw it in the garbage never Tim’s again
Too late. We already seen the true colours of this brazilian company. Canadians are no longer interested in Tims low quality products and money laundering scams.
Lol, saw the first new recruitment commercial yesterday, all white kids in the ad, not even close to reality 😂😂
It’s funny that no one is mentioning the fact that the Canadian Government is subsidizing (paying) 50% to 70% of the wages of these foreign workers. No wonder these businesses hire them in droves. The Liberal Government created this problem but nothing is being done about that. Take away the subsidies and make it a level playing field and let’s see at that point who the business owners choose to hire . .
About time. Canadian youth need jobs and entry level positions like this are usually where most of us got our first employment experience. The ability to hire, exploit and underpay foreign workers should never have been allowed when there was no shortage of people locally available to fill these types of openings.
Tim Horton’s is done now, it’s a Canadian company no more. Ron Joyce sold us out. He’s ruined my dream of retiring and opening a Tim Horton’s in India to pay them back.
SHAME ON YOU TIM HORTONS
First we all know they are only doing this gesture do to DD coming back. Second, why not make ALL of your work force 100% Canadian born?
Too late! Can’t backtrack now.. I haven’t been to a Tim Hortons in years and I will never go back
Fine them for using TFWs that they didn’t need to import into our country!
its singh hortons now.. to late
Too little too late. Everybody hates Tim Hortons.
Tim Horton’s has lost its way. No longer Canadian. No longer local. No longer good food.
They have been the biggest abuser of the TFW program for years. I am glad to see them announce this, but it is too little too late. They lost me as a customer years ago. True local businesses get my money.
Now that Carney has moved to give citizenship to all the tfw’s, this will be easy! Tim’s won’t even have to hire new staff.
…bet their food and coffee will still be garbage however
Sorry Canada it’s too late and will ,ever happen TFW are here to stay their not leaving and nobody is making them its gone on for too long and nearly all of these franchise ‘s are owned by East indians they will only hire their own it’s called ramping e veverse racism.
too little too late, I’ll go to Dunkins who make a good coffee
In my experience over the last two or three years, I have received some of the rudest, ignorant service from various Tim Horton’s, to the point where I mostly avoid TH’s. I hope these young prospective sales people are properly trained when they are hired.
singhhortons is disgusting please boycott spend your money at any place that hires real canadians
Having read some articles about TH and working at a TH franchise. It’s not that surprising TFWs are used. Seems that working there is high stress, low wages and rude customers. Somewhat of an organization powered by greed and stress. Buying a franchise is always a risky move; it may be turnkey but you’re locked into franchiser supply at their price.
Either way, be nice to those who serve you, you’re not perfect either……
Timindia can kick rocks! The same company that petitioned the Feds to raise the foreign worker cap from 20% to 30%. Tuck fims!
Oh so the government and the companies are both just admitting it’s not about not being able to find people, they just would rather hire temp foreign workers. Probably because they are extremely cheap and can be taken advantage of.
ya sure thing, never go
I’m completely done with this woketard diversity experiment. If a brown boy owns it, I ain’t going there.
Too little, too late. Most of the Tim’s franchise owners are from India and they favour their own nationality (India).
My local Tims, in Hespeler Ontario, at one time had an equal amount of white vs. brown employees. But since franchise owners (from India) took over, all employees are brown. Go figure.
Why now??
Too little, too late!! Done and done with Tim’s!
When I was going to college, we were glad to have any job. Most were minimum wage. Why the negative spin on this. If Tim Hortons provides 10,000 jobs, and every other fast food joint provides 10,000 jobs, pretty soon we will have the million we need.
Keep in mind there is red tape on hiring apprentices. How many students are working as unpaid apprentices, just for the work experience to put on a resume?
This is a good thing. We need more of it and less TFW’s.
too little too late, all foreign workers taxi, truck, fast food, etc, country move backward na advance
Dunkin Donuts is better
Too little. Too late.
Bye bye.
I’ll be supporting Dunkin’ instead.
Believe it when I see it. Actually I won’t, I refuse to go to Tim’s.
Should always be local and no foreign workers allowed in Canada