Tourism operators say lack of affordable housing big challenge for province
Tourism businesses in Banff and Canmore are warning of severe staffing shortages ahead of the summer season, citing a lack of affordable housing and tighter rules on foreign workers as major barriers to recruitment and retention, according to a report.
Despite interest from international and domestic candidates, employers say they cannot translate that interest into stable hires without affordable accommodation, says CTV News.
“I’m desperate,” said Brande White of the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company in nearby Canmore. “I have to find at least 35 people before June 1.”
White said she has conducted about “600 interviews” over the last three years, but many candidates withdraw or leave once they confront the realities of the rental market. “People can’t stay, they can’t find housing, or they just don’t show up or can’t afford it,” she told CTV News.
Housing shortage challenges
Some businesses provide staff accommodation but say it falls short of what is needed. Plans are under way to add about 90 new housing units in Banff, but employers told CTV News this will not be sufficient to keep pace with demand. “We don’t have houses right now and that’s what we need,” White said.
While trying to hire locally, White said many Canadians cannot afford to move to or stay in the area: "Anybody that’s looking for a job, please come see me. We just can’t find enough,” she said.
In January 2026, 270,400 people were employed in tourism in Alberta, up 12.0% from January 2025, according to provincial data.
The Alberta government’s Occupational Outlook Highlights 2023–2033 projects a province‑wide worker shortage in the near term, before shifting to a surplus later in the decade. The document states that the labour market imbalance is expected to show shortage in 2024 and 2025, with shortages of approximately 11,000 and 8,000 workers respectively across the economy.
About 230,000 jobs in the tourism sector could go unfilled by 2030 due to a lack of workers, according to a previous report from the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC).
Alberta outperformed its previous revenue record, reaching $15.2 billion in visitor spend in 2025, according to Travel Alberta.
“In a fiercely competitive global market, Alberta's visitor economy grew by more than 6%, outperforming the national average of approximately four per cent,” it said.
