Latest news with #JanickCormier
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘We're super sad': Bedford IHOP set to close its doors
The International House of Pancakes in Bedford, N.S., is pictured on June 16, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Vanessa Wright) After a three-and-a-half-year run, the International House of Pancakes in Bedford, N.S., will close its doors by the end of the month. 'It's a little bit surprising in some ways because IHOP is a big, internationally well-run, very successful breakfast place in the U.S. But sometimes companies make mistakes when they go international,' says retail analyst Bruce Winder. It wouldn't be the first time an American brand struggled in a Canadian market. Winder says it can be compared to when Target closed their doors nationwide, almost as quickly as they opened them. 'Canadians, you know, they're not dumb,' says Winder. 'They were able to shop at Target in the U.S. and look at the price differential and say, 'this doesn't make sense.'' I think the same thing happened with IHOP.' Although Winder finds its closure surprising, Janick Cormier, the Atlantic vice-president for Restaurants Canada, says she doesn't. 'Generally speaking, restaurants are having a hard time paying their bills right now, so it's not entirely surprising that we're seeing closures,' says Cormier. She says restaurant closures are going to be 'more common' in the coming months, especially as Canadians become pickier with their spending. 'Canadians are very price aware right now… and they are looking at the less expensive items on the menu. They're going to go without the glass of wine these days and stick to water, for example,' says Cormier. Toys"R"Us Toys"R"Us in Dartmouth Crossing is pictured on June 16, 2025. (CTV Atlantic / Vanessa Wright) In the case of Dartmouth Crossing's Toys'R'Us, another store set to close, Dan Shaw, the MBA program director at Dalhousie University says they're not only competing with cheaper alternatives, but steady online competition. 'People are deciding category by category where they can sacrifice the drive and where they could sacrifice, whatever service. And I think we're looking here at a category that there's not a lot of service that comes with it,' says Shaw. 'So, we're seeing that people are wanting to buy more and more things online.' Still, Cormier says IHOP's closure came at a difficult time. 'I think it was very brave of them to open in that climate,' says Cormier. 'We were still in the height of COVID times. There were closures of restaurants across the board… we would be able to reopen, but under a lot of restrictions.' There's no word yet on what will replace the restaurant, but some are disappointed to see it go. 'We're really upset about it because this is a restaurant that we loved to come to together as a family and we love the pancakes here so we're super sad,' says Tanya MacAdam. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
10-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
After tax holiday's success, industry group calls for GST/HST to come off all food for good
A group that advocates for the restaurant and food service industry wants to tackle Canada's affordability crisis, starting at the table. Restaurants Canada has launched a national campaign calling on the federal government to reintroduce a policy that eliminates GST and HST taxes on all food — restaurant meals as well as grocery store items. Janick Cormier, Restaurants Canada's vice-president for the Atlantic region, said the call comes as restaurants continue to struggle with rising operating costs and stagnant revenues. "It's no secret that the pandemic was hard on our industry, and we've never fully recovered. Today, about 53 per cent of restaurants are either operating at a loss or barely breaking even," Cormier told CBC's Island Morning. Cormier said the organization wants the tax relief to apply not just to restaurant meals, but to all prepared food items, whether they're sold in restaurants or at grocery stores. "At the end of the day, food is food. Everybody needs to eat, and taxing food is wrong," she said. Tax holiday 'a tremendous boost' Cormier pointed to the federal government's two-month GST/HST holiday that began in December as proof of the proposal's value. She said it led to noticeable increases in sales and revenue across the country, particularly during January and February, typically the slowest months for the food industry. "It was a tremendous boost for industry at a time where we needed it the most," she said. "That's why we're here talking about it, and asking the government to remove the tax permanently." The organization argues the proposal could stimulate broader economic growth as well. "We're estimating that this could lead to an additional 64,000 new jobs in the industry, over 15,000 spinoff jobs in related industries... the deliveries, the agriculture, fisheries," she said. "It would be about $1.5 billion in additional tax revenue from all of this employment, and our unemployment rate would go down quite significantly. And this would also equate to about $5.4 billion in tax saving for consumers who are also struggling to make ends meet." 'We need to be cautious' Patrick Ross, owner of China Garden in Charlottetown, said he supports the proposal. "I think it's a positive move. I think that it was certainly something that gave us a boost when we had it done back in the wintertime," he said. "And it's something that I would like to see happen again — not sure for how long, but it certainly gives an added boost when needed, especially during challenging times." Ross said his restaurant has also faced the ongoing pressures of rising costs. "Prices have continued to increase — and this has happened over a long period of time and restaurants are feeling that effect — and now with what is happening with the United States, that is going to start making its way into the cost of our supplies, and that then affects prices, and it also affects people's disposable income, to be able to come out and treat themselves to dinner out," he said. We need to be cautious, because government needs taxes. It is something that the country needs in order to function right. — Restaurant owner Patrick Ross "Doing something like this will help individuals be able to enjoy a meal out together, and then in return, help the restaurants with increased sales to help with the increased expenses." While supportive of the tax cut proposal, Ross mentioned the need for balance. "We need to be cautious, because government needs taxes. It is something that the country needs in order to function right. So there needs to be a balance with reducing the taxes, but at the same time being fiscally responsible as a government."
CBC
16-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Atlantic Canada can lose workers under Carney's immigration target, says restaurant group
A restaurant industry group is sounding the alarm about how immigration cuts are affecting its members on P.E.I. and across Atlantic Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney, at his first press conference following the April 28 federal election, pledged to cap the total number of temporary workers and international students to less than five per cent of Canada's population by the end of 2027. Carney is sticking to the targets set by the Justin Trudeau government late last year. P.E.I.'s immigration targets were already slashed earlier this year, with the federal government reducing the Island's 2025 allocation under both the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Program by half. That would cut the number of newcomers the province can nominate for permanent residency in Canada by half, down to 1,025. That decision came after the province voluntarily reduced its own nominations last year, issuing just 1,590 out of its allocation of 2,050. Janick Cormier, Restaurants Canada's vice-president for Atlantic Canada, said these cuts will significantly impact the food service industry in the region, especially as the busy tourism season begins. "We've been tapping into foreign migrants to staff our restaurants across the Island, across Atlantic Canada frankly, to keep our doors open. So without access to foreign labour, or with an extremely reduced access in the case of P.E.I., we will have to make some difficult decisions," Cormier told CBC's Island Morning. "I can see restaurants opening later, closing earlier, closing entirely for certain days of the week, for example, to... try to keep their doors open, but without staff, it's hard to keep the same amount of service that we're used to." Demographic and pandemic effects Cormier said restaurants in the Atlantic region depend on foreign labour for two main reasons. The first is the impact of the pandemic, during which the industry saw a lot of instability due to repeated closures and capacity restrictions. "The employees who were in the industry when the pandemic hit, a lot of them found employment elsewhere because they needed steady income," she said. Then there's the region's demographic landscape. "In Atlantic Canada, our population is older. It's smaller. There's a reason people refer to our communities as retirement communities, but the people who live here still want to have access to all the services they're used to," she said. "To be able to have all of these services, we've been having to tap into foreign labour, bring people in to do these kinds of jobs, simply [because] our population is retiring and just no longer on the labour market." 'The human element' Cormier said the immigration cuts not only impact the industry but also affect the workers who suddenly find their path to permanent residency is no longer available. On P.E.I., both major immigration streams are essentially inaccessible to foreign workers in the restaurant industry. This year, the province has limited applications to the Atlantic Immigration Program to workers in just three priority sectors — health care, construction and manufacturing. And for the Provincial Nominee Program, people working in the service sector may not receive an invitation to apply, according to the province's website. Cormier said she's heard "heartbreaking" stories of immigrants working in the restaurant industry who, unable to find a permanent residency pathway, did not have their work permits renewed and have to leave Canada. "We talk a lot about statistics and numbers, and you know, Carney talks about five per cent, but that five per cent represents human beings," she said. "They came here thinking they're building their lives in this country, and the government just reverses course and they'd have to go back home. So it's pretty devastating, the human element to this."
CBC
30-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Some restaurants striking back against no-show reservations with a fee
Starting in July, Quebec will begin charging customers who don't show up for their restaurant reservation. According to Restaurants Canada, 53 per cent of Canadian restaurants aren't profitable, and can't take the financial hit. Here and Now's Carolyn Stokes spoke with Janick Cormier.
