Yellowknife (May 26/06) - Patrick Yu came to Canada more than 30 years ago, leaving behind friends and family in his native Hong Kong.

During the last three decades, he has gone from a cook who spoke little English, to the owner of the thriving Gold Range Bistro in downtown Yellowknife.

But like many other business owners in the Northwest Territories, Yu is desperate to find skilled workers willing to come North of 60.

The shortage is acute in the restaurant sector, where the Gold Range Bistro is one of at least two eateries facing a dearth of, all things, Chinese cooks.

The federal government hasn't made the search for workers any easier, said Yu, who told Yellowknifer last week his efforts to find chefs overseas have been bogged down in three years of red tape.

"There is a shortage of people in Yellowknife," said Yu. "You need help, and they tell you 'No.'"

Yu works 60-65 hours per week at the Gold Range Bistro, splitting his time between managing the restaurant and cooking in the kitchen. He recruited his brother to help cook and has two other chefs who work weekends and holidays to keep up with the demands of the bustling eatery, popular for its reasonably-priced Asian cuisine.

Yu says he needs one or two more cooks to ease the load.

"It's hard," said Yu, who bought the Gold Range Bistro three or four years ago.

Unfortunately, his plight is far from unique, said Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins. Other companies in his downtown riding are facing labour shortages - a problem that has ramifications for the rest of the capital.

"Small businesses are the breadbasket of the community," said Hawkins.

It's perhaps ironic that the avenue that brought Yu to Canada is now working against him, Hawkins said.

Yu's hunt for cooks began in 2003 when he approached immigration officials about hiring overseas. Before he could do that, federal bureaucrats told Yu he had to advertise across Canada.

The restaurateur said he spent "thousands" on ads in daily newspapers in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. After the fruitless search, Yu turned to China, where he found a man with 15 years experience looking for a chance to come to Canada - much like Yu had done three decades earlier.

But two months ago, Yu said federal officials kiboshed the man's work request because his credentials weren't up to par and his English was weak.

"I was so mad, especially when I am willing to pay to have him come over," said Yu. "Who (better) than the employer to (judge) someone's qualifications?"

"We're isolated in Yellowknife. Even when we have hope, it will be demolished by the federal government."

Each year, 90,000 skilled foreigners come to Canada as temporary workers, according to the federal immigration department.

In 2003, 125 came to the Northwest Territories followed by 76 in 2004. The workers are granted work permits - not citizenship or permanent residence status.

The process is designed not only to help companies facing labour crunches, but also to ensure that jobs are available to qualified Canadians, said Randy Gurlock, director of Citizenship and Immigration Canada for Northern Alberta and the NWT.

"There has to be a balance," he said Thursday. "And we need to make sure people have the skills to do the job."

The shortage of skilled workers has been a long-standing problem in the territories, said the executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, Marino Casebeer. But a torrid southern economy is having a dramatic effect on the capital's service industry.

"Vancouver is hot. Alberta is hot. When a dishwasher can make $17 an hour in Edmonton, why come to Yellowknife?"

Casebeer said local companies will become more reliant on foreign workers in the future, especially once construction begins on the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

With those demands, federal officials should be more open to allowing skilled workers into the territories, Yu said.

"It's hard to deal with those people. They put a block in the road."