Get to work this winter
NOVEMBER 2006 — VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11
Sun Peaks Resort employers are starting to feel the crunch with the winter season fast approaching. As in previous years, businesses are in full hiring mode but many have come up against the annual difficulty of finding enough people to fill all available positions.
This winter the resort will employ around 1,500 staff, split between large employers with several hundred positions to fill, and the dozens of smaller businesses with a handful of jobs each. According to Tourism Sun Peaks President Christopher Nicolson, as of mid-October, the resort had only about 200 positions left to fill, but Nicolson anticipated these positions would fill up following late-month job fairs. Nicolson says that a shortage of employees is nothing new, and Sun Peaks businesses are using a variety of approaches to find enough employees, including hiring workers from overseas.
Other challenges face employers as they attempt to hire staff, such as where staff will live and how they will get to work. Nicolson explains that there’s often a changeover at this time of year from summer employees to the resort’s winter staff.
“We’re starting to move into that timeframe right now. As the weather gets cold and you can’t do any more outside work then those sorts of jobs end for the winter season,” says Nicolson.
As the summer employees move out, more accommodation is opened up for winter employees arriving in anticipation of the beginning of the season.
Some of Sun Peaks’ larger businesses are offering a shuttle service as a way of bringing employees to the mountain from Kamloops. Ashley Tait, director of communications at Tourism Sun Peaks, says that plans for the Sun Peaks Resort Corporation (SPRC) shuttle are firmly in place.
“Yes, there’s going to be a shuttle run by the [Sun Peaks Resort Corporation] for SPRC employees,” confirms Tait.
The shuttle will be a joint venture between SPRC, the Delta Sun Peaks Resort Hotel, Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge, and CanadaWest Coach Lines. The shuttle will begin service Nov. 13 and will run seven days a week until the end of the season. So far, the shuttle will only be available for the staff of SPRC and the two hotels involved. CanadaWest Coach Lines will also be offering a shuttle from Sun Peaks to Kamloops that’s open to all Sun Peaks residents and guests. Specific details on this shuttle are still pending but will be available at Sun Peaks Guest Services closer to the start of the ski season.
While finding suitable staff can be a struggle, particularly for large businesses, some employers haven’t had any trouble filling positions. George Terwiel of Tree Line Studios and the Lone Wolf Gallery has already found employees for his businesses. He credits the ease of hiring to good planning.
“Everyone came to me, but I had ads in the newspaper, I had ads on the doors of the shop and I used word of mouth,” explains Terwiel.
Although the major job fairs take place pre-season, many employers are still looking for workers and hiring continues throughout the winter. Anyone interested in a winter position is encouraged to visit the resort or check advertisements online at www.sunpeaksnews.com and www.sunpeaksresort.com or in the local newspapers.
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