{"id":17812,"date":"2025-02-21T16:37:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T16:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/21\/constant-wintry-weather-has-ontario-snow-contractors-scrambling-for-salt\/"},"modified":"2025-02-21T16:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T16:37:21","slug":"constant-wintry-weather-has-ontario-snow-contractors-scrambling-for-salt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/21\/constant-wintry-weather-has-ontario-snow-contractors-scrambling-for-salt\/","title":{"rendered":"Constant wintry weather has Ontario snow contractors scrambling for salt"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There has been one constant in Ontario this winter: a non-stop amount of snow falling across many areas of the province.<\/p>\n

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The plethora of snowfalls, both large and small, has left those responsible for clearing roads and parking lots scrambling to keep up.<\/p>\n

It has also left private snow contractors with the unenviable task of trying to keep their salt stocks high, as unusually high amount of inclement weather is causing \u201cmassive strain,\u201d said Joe Salemi, executive director of Landscape Ontario.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s already a shortage of snow and ice contractors in Ontario because of the liability pressures that are on them,\u201d said, whose association represents landscapers and private snow removal companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when you have all of these snowfalls all at once, it just puts massive strain on the capacity and the bandwidth of these contractors to make sure that our parking lots and roadways and walkways are clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t‘Smaller snow events actually eat up a lot more salt’\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Global News meteorologist Ross Hull said Wednesday that Toronto had received about triple the average snowfall in February, while Ottawa had also seen more than double than usual.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAverage snowfall at YYZ for the month of February is 24.3 cm (YYZ has received 71.6 cm so far this month),\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe average snowfall for the entire winter weather season is 108.5 cm (YYZ has received 125.8 cm so far this season).\u201d<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile Ottawa, which tends to see more snow in the winter than their southern cousins, has seen 93.4 cm by February 19, while it historically averages 43.3 cm, according to Hill. He said that Canada\u2019s capital will generally see around 223 cm but it had already seen 193 cm by Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAll of these small snow events require a salt application,\u201d Salemi said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBut when we saw this bigger snowfall, it\u2019s the plow crew that goes out, clears all the snow, and then at the very end, there\u2019s a salt application. So all of these smaller snow events actually eat up a lot more salt than one big snowfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the companies feeling the pinch is Draglam Salt, which posted a warning on their website noting that prices could be affected by the salts shortage.<\/p>\n

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The world\u2019s largest salt mine is located in Goderich, Ont. Salemi said the wintry weather has forced Compass Minerals, the mine\u2019s owner, to ration its salt supply as it provides much of his members with their salt.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>The salt mines base their production off the last couple of winters snowfall and you know in the GTA and southern Ontario are snowfalls in the last two winters have been pretty light,\u201d Salemi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo getting ready for this winter we\u2019ve seen a ton of snow already and we still have a lot of winter to go.\u201d<\/p>\n