Ontarians are finding themselves in a bit of a pickle this winter—minus the brine—as a province-wide salt shortage sweeps from Ottawa to Kenora for the second year in a row.
Thanks to the particularly cold and snowy winter we’re having this year, Ontario bottomed out on its annual salt allotment in mid-January. It’s a huge problem, says Joe Salemi, the executive director of Landscape Ontario, a trades association that represents approximately 3,000 of the province’s 8,000 snow removal contractors. “To put it in perspective, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) through to Ottawa, winter will go into late March, and sometimes we’ll even get snowfalls in early April,” he says. To cover the deficit, Ontario has been getting salt shipped in from the U.S. and even Egypt.
The shortage is most acute in southern and urban areas of the province, such as the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA), due to what Salemi calls “a strong expectation for clear and dry pavement immediately following a large snow event.” But this expectation is actually part of the problem, he says.
Increased road salt usage is affecting our lakes—but this cottager group has a solution
Over the last 15 years, an unfair liability system has emerged that pushes contractors to use up to 50 per cent more salt than is necessary to avoid lawsuits from tumbles on ice. “Someone slips and falls, and invariably, there’s a personal injury lawyer just waiting to let them know that they can get money,” says Salemi. “But now, contractors are putting so much salt down that it almost becomes a trip and fall hazard on its own.”
This overuse of salt, alongside frequent and intense snow events, is worsening the shortage. Making the situation even more problematic is the fact that Ontario ships the majority of its salt to the U.S. The salt mine in Goderich, for example, produces around nine million tons of salt annually, but only three million tons are allotted to municipalities in Ontario. The rest goes to the U.S., from whom the mine is able to turn a higher profit.
Tips for using less road salt
Salemi says that without changes, Ontarians can expect another salt shortage next year, as mines won’t have enough time to build up supplies again. At the same time, Salemi is getting phone calls “by the plenty” from small contractors saying they’re going out of business due to the shortage and high insurance costs. “So, what we’re worried about is, next winter, sure we’re going to have a salt shortage, but we’re also going to have a shortage of people willing to clear and snow and put the salt down.”
To avoid this, Landscape Ontario is calling on the province to rethink the liability framework, and on the feds to reduce the amount of salt being shipped to our southern neighbours. But Salemi also says some of the responsibility falls on Canadians. “I wish we would move away from those high expectations surrounding clean up after weather events, and understand that we do have winter, and it snows, and you need to wear proper footwear.”
As a result of the shortage, salt prices have skyrocketed. Where salt would normally cost $60 or $70 per metric ton, it’s now in the neighborhood of $300 or $325 a ton. For everyday Canadians buying salt for personal use from a hardware store, this translates to an increase of $5 per bag to around $10 per bag. To save money and reduce salt use, Salemi recommends homeowners use alternatives such sand, or even kitty litter, to help create traction.
Related Story Sick of shovelling? Here’s how to turn your vehicle into a snowplow
Related Story Why the cost of snow removal will still be high this winter
Related Story Cottage Q&A: Why is ‘pumping the brakes’ while driving no longer correct?