Ken Kiernicki and his company, Wonder Shows, is back in action after the federal government’s decision to curb the employment of temporary foreign workers almost shut him down.

Last fall, the government announced that they’d be turning down applications from companies who bring in temporary foreign workers in areas where the jobless rate was six percent or higher.

For carnival owners like Kiernicki, that could have meant the end for Wonder Shows, which has been around for more than 60 years.

For most of those years, Kiernicki and the company’s previous owners relied heavily on local students and young adults who were glad for a summer paycheque and the adventure of an itinerant lifestyle.

That all began to change around the time of the pandemic.

“If we do seem to get anybody local, they come and work a week and then they find out it’s not that easy,” he says. “It’s not an easy job. It’s very physical and [demanding]. And also, who really wants to go live in a bunkhouse that travels from town to town every week?”

While it may not be locals, in 2019 Kiernicki discovered who is willing to do the hard labour and live on the road for a summer: Jamaicans. He’s been bringing in these willing workers ever since. In recent years, they’ve made up over half of his staff. 

He doesn’t do it because it’s cheap labour, he says. In fact, each foreign worker he brings in costs him around $4,000 just for their flight. Then he provides their housing and pays them a $16 per hour wage plus overtime pay.

“The deal is they only come in for four months, so they want to work as much as they can,” Kiernicki says. “Our employment is temporary and it’s long hours.”

Kiernicki says he’s unsure as to what happened regarding the federal government’s changed legislation. All he knows for sure is that he applied for his 30 foreign workers for 2025 and they were granted, so he’s in business for another year. 

But there are carnival owners and other companies across the country who rely heavily on outsourced help and he believes there must have been some lobbying to convince the government to change their minds.

“I believe there are some companies out there that are bringing in foreign help when they shouldn’t be, but certain industries do have a tough time finding the people to work,” says Kiernicki.

For Wonder Shows, the 2025 season is already well underway. In early June, they’ll make their annual two-day appearance at Niverville’s Olde Tyme Country Fair, just like they have done for the better part of 25 years.