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One would think a successful business in Calgary’s booming economy would have nowhere to go but up. That wasn’t the case for Gerard Curran, owner of the James Joyce Pub. In fact, economic growth meant having to downsize from two restaurants to one — all for want of qualified workers.

“When the crunch came in 2007-08 I couldn’t deal with the labour issues,” he says. “Margins in this business are 3% to 4%. When I had to search for Canadian workers — and I mean search — there just weren’t enough. We were spending $2,000 a month for ads just screaming for people. Ultimately I had to sell one of my operations just to stay in business.”

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[np_storybar title=”Foreign workers program must be temporary, aimed at high skills: Carney” link=”http://business.financialpost.com/2013/04/23/foreign-workers-program-must-be-temporary-aimed-at-high-skills-carney/”]

Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney says the controversial temporary foreign workers program should not be used to drive wages down or to fill lower-skilled jobs.