Ontario is grappling with a road salt scarcity despite winter being far from over, leading some cities to adjust their strategies or allocate supplies cautiously.
The early onset of winter and an increase in severe weather events have accelerated the consumption of salt for de-icing roads and walkways.
Doug Godfrey, the general manager of city operations, highlighted that Guelph typically receives around 40 millimetres of rain and 10 centimetres of snow between November and December.
However, Guelph experienced a surge in precipitation levels during the same period, with 104 millimetres of rain and 30 centimetres of snow, as mentioned by Godfrey.
To manage the salt shortage, cities are resorting to using more sand or a combination of sand and road salt.
Our operations are running at full capacity, with crews working seven days a week.– Syed Kazmi, VP of operations at Goderich Salt Mine
Perth County has also encountered difficulties in receiving salt deliveries at its storage yards, prompting adjustments by plow operators during de-icing activities.
According to Sarah Franklin, a spokesperson for Perth County, the replenishment of road salt in county storage facilities is ongoing but at a slow pace.
The City of Kitchener acknowledged facing a lower-than-expected salt supply this winter and emphasized the implementation of salt conservation best practices.
The city mentioned providing salt management training for the roads team, monitoring weather conditions, and prioritizing significant plowing efforts before resorting to salting or sanding.
Despite the ongoing shortage, the city assured that it has enough salt reserves for future use.
The elevated levels of precipitation and snow have strained Ontario’s road salt supply, leading to rationing in some municipalities to prolong existing stocks.
Goderich mine crews operating non-stop
The demand for road salt has surged, causing challenges for the Goderich underground salt mine, one of the largest globally beneath Lake Huron, despite running full crews continuously, even through holidays.
Syed Kazmi, the vice-president of operations at Goderich Salt Mine owned by Compass Minerals, highlighted the mine’s full capacity operations and crews working around the clock.
He emphasized that the concentrated demand over a short period is straining the mine’s capabilities.
In response to the salt shortage, suppliers in the province are prioritizing municipalities, leading private contractors to source supplies from other provinces like Quebec.
Christopher Arnts from Arnts the Landscape Supplier Inc. in Whitby mentioned the significant rise in the demand for salt, resulting in additional costs to import salt from outside the province.