Edmonton-area restaurant closes due to sick workers, others struggling with staffing too

Wendy Boyd recently tossed thousands of dollars of produce and dumped half-empty bottles of wine down the drain. That wasn't because of government COVID-19 closures, but because too many of her employees are sick.

The co-owner of St. Louis Bar and Grill in St. Albert said she didn't have a choice but to lock the doors for two weeks.

"This is the last shutdown we want, for sure. People are depending on their money for rent, for servers a lot of their money is tips," Boyd told CTV News Edmonton.

"It's a gut check financially, but it's also a reality check. We knew it was going to come."

As an Omicron-variant fueled fifth wave washes over Alberta, Boyd is not the only one struggling to find staff that will help keep her business going.

A December study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses found 46 per cent of Alberta businesses were struggling to find workers and 24 per cent were short staffed. Omicron has only made that worse.

“(Businesses) are already doing all they can to attract workers, but they need governments to do their part by adopting policies that increase productivity, connect job seekers with employers and don’t put the cost of hiring out of reach,” CFIB's Corinne Pohlmann said in a news release.

With that in mind, Alberta recently cut the isolation requirement for fully-vaccinated workers who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five.

"We're making these changes to help prevent disruptions in Alberta's workforce," Health Minister Jason Copping said in early January.

Boyd said she never had a staff shortage problem before the pandemic because she pays well and treats her staff like family.

For her the issue is Omicron, and to help her get through that, she wants money from the government.

St. Louis did receive $2,000 from Alberta taxpayers for bringing in a Restrictions Exemption Program, but said Ontario small businesses recently received $10,000.

"We're getting the things we need, the tools we need in terms of testing, although we got a little hold-up right now. But we need hard cash from our provincial government and our federal government. That would really help us get through this last one," she said.

St. Louis plans to reopen on Monday, and Boyd hopes it's for good this time.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Touria Izri