Banff And Canmore Hiring Fairs Reveal Ongoing Challenges For Local Employers

The Job Resource Centre’s fall hiring fairs drew 258 job seekers this year, with the event held separately in Banff and Canmore for the first time.

Banff saw the larger turnout, with 178 job seekers and 22 employers attending the Sept. 15 fair at the Moose Hotel & Suites. In comparison, the Sept. 22 fair at The Malcolm Hotel in Canmore attracted 80 job seekers and 25 employers.

In total, 37 different employers took part. Eleven employers registered for both fairs, including Sunshine Village, Mount Norquay, SkiBig3 and Roam Transit.

Housing Remains A Major Hiring Hurdle

Bow Valley employers face many of the same hiring challenges they faced last year.

In 2025, the Job Resource Centre (JRC) reported that employers were recruiting earlier so staff would be in place before winter, and that housing was still making positions hard to fill.

Both trends held in 2026, said Mackenzie Tindal, the JRC’s employer services coordinator.

“Similar to 2025, early recruitment and housing remain really closely linked together,” Tindal said. “The difference was maybe that we saw that employers appeared increasingly aware that they needed to address both issues together if they wanted to successfully staff their operations.”

As of September 2026, about 40 percent of Bow Valley postings on the JRC job board advertised staff accommodation.

“Staff housing has always been a major factor. It remains one of the most important recruitment tools in the Bow Valley,” she explained. “For many job seekers, the question isn’t just, what does this job pay? It’s, where am I going to live if I take it?”

Employers Look For New Solutions

Some employers are adding beds. Tindal pointed to the Banff Lodging Company, which is advertising accommodation for more than 400 full-time employees, and Spring Creek in Canmore, which opened staff housing for 154 employees in 2025.

But she said offering housing is not the same as offering enough of the right kind.

“An employer might offer housing, but still struggle, if the units are already full, or if the housing is shared, if there isn’t enough beds for seasonal workers, if the housing doesn’t accommodate couples or families, or maybe if pets aren’t allowed, or the housing is too expensive or the employees have to commute,” she said.

Housing also explains why employers keep hiring earlier. Tindal said some candidates turn down jobs because they cannot find affordable accommodation in time to move to Banff or Canmore.

Banff Sunshine Village said it works with other Bow Valley businesses to pool staff housing.

“Housing is important,” said Kendra Scurfield, the resort’s vice-president of marketing, brand and communications. “We are constantly working to source affordable housing for those joining our team.”

Some Positions Remain Difficult To Fill

Tindal said the hardest positions to fill are in food and beverage, both front of house and kitchen, housekeeping, and social services, especially early childhood education.

She said the problem is not a lack of interest in working in the Bow Valley. Employers struggle to find “enough people with the right skills and experience and availability and ability to live in the Bow Valley.”

Jobs like early childhood education require formal training, which can make it harder to recruit qualified candidates locally. For service and housekeeping jobs, the main barrier is the cost of living here.

Sunshine Village has mostly finished its winter hiring, Scurfield said. The jobs still open are behind the scenes, such as custodians and cooks.

“Typically back-of-house roles; cooks, dishwashers, custodians, housekeepers are harder to fill,” she said. “Everyone wants to be a lifty. However housekeeping do get lots of time to ski or ride.”

Immigration Changes Add Pressure To Hiring

Both sources said changes to federal immigration rules are making it more difficult for some Bow Valley employers to recruit temporary foreign workers.

Many local employers have used the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process, which generally requires an employer to demonstrate a need to hire a foreign worker and that Canadians or permanent residents are not available to fill the position.

Scurfield said Sunshine has not historically relied on LMIAs for back-of-house roles, but many other Bow Valley employers did.

“As LMIA numbers have been reduced, more employers are now competing for the same local labour pool, making recruitment for these roles specifically more challenging,” she said.

Sunshine is now trying to hire more Canadians by attending more career fairs.

Tindal said employers need to plan earlier and use several recruitment strategies “rather than just assuming that they can fill shortages with temporary foreign workers.” For tourism and hospitality employers, she said, that means “more competition for a smaller international labour pool.”

Workers’ expectations are also changing. Long-term residents “don’t want to accept bare minimum anymore,” Tindal said.

According to Tindal, employers are putting more effort into keeping staff through better wages, benefits and accommodation, partly because many are tired of rehiring every season. She called that cycle “the whole cat and mouse game over and over and over again.”

Why The JRC Split Its Hiring Fairs

The JRC split the fair after employers and job seekers asked for an event in each town, Tindal said. Many residents face transportation challenges travelling between Banff and Canmore.

She said the gap in turnout was expected. Banff has more seasonal workers, and many of them live in staff accommodation without a car or the time to travel. The Banff venue is also smaller, so the JRC invites fewer employers there, usually the largest ones.

Scurfield said Sunshine also saw more people at the Banff fair, “likely because Banff is where we see those new to the Bow Valley landing.”

She said the Canmore fair is growing and draws “more mature candidates.” The resort recommends that anyone interested in resort work attend both fairs.

Canmore also brought in more small businesses than usual, Tindal said. The Canmore fair drew several construction and trades companies that did not attend in Banff, including Bighorn Sheetmetal, HSS Design Build and Oskar Construction.

Pro-Claim Canmore, a restoration company, attended for the first time and has had good results from it, Tindal said.

Changes Planned For Next Year's Fairs

The JRC plans to keep separate fairs but change the schedule, Tindal said.

This year’s fairs were held on back-to-back Tuesdays. She said many people in the valley have the same two days off each week, so anyone working Tuesdays could not attend either fair. Next year’s fairs will be on different days of the week.

Timing is also a factor. Employers prefer early-fall fairs because that is when they do most of their hiring, but Tindal said many winter-season job seekers had not yet arrived in the valley when this year’s fairs were held.

Despite the ongoing hiring challenges, Tindal, who was born and raised in Banff, said she continues to see determination among local employers and workers.

“There are probably no more resilient employers and no more passionate job seekers than right here in the Bow Valley,” she said.