The Evils of UBI

I was having a recent conversation with a fellow shrew about a friend of theirs who was having difficulty with a very basic employment situation. Most of you—especially the Canucks among you—are aware of the issues regarding our Tim Hortons employment here in Canada.

Tim Hortons is Canada’s iconic coffee and doughnut chain, a cultural staple known for its double-doubles, Timbits, and drive-thru culture. In recent years, the company and many of its franchisees have faced sharp criticism for their heavy reliance on temporary foreign workers (TFW), particularly from India. Tim Hortons has lobbied the federal government to raise the cap on these workers from 20 percent to 30 percent for certain locations. The result has been growing resentment among Canadians who see entry-level service jobs—once filled by local students, young workers, and recent graduates—increasingly going to imported labour. Whether driven by genuine labour shortages or simple cost-cutting, the pattern has created language barriers, cultural cliques, and a widespread feeling that basic Canadian jobs are no longer meant for Canadians.