Maritimers prepare for Canada Day BBQs amid soaring meat prices

Many Maritimers are getting ready for expensive barbecues on Canada Day.

Foot traffic was steady at the Halifax seaport Tuesday, but Garrison Brewing Company hopes it will be a much busier on Canada Day.

“We’re very excited to be open… It’s actually one of the biggest days of the year for us down here at Seaport,” says Kayla Maclellan, Garrison Brewing Company’s retail and hospitality manager.

Their event will kick off at 10 a.m., and will feature live music, face-painting and a barbeque.

“We’re doing some gourmet burgers, gourmet hot dogs, some sides like potato salad, local corn, chicken kabobs, that kind of thing. and we have a nice big commercial barbecue we rented. So, we’re really excited to get some local food for folks,” says Maclellan.

“Its going to be a great little party. We’re super excited. This is kind of our first crack at it, but we’re preparing to serve about 1,000 to 1,200 people.”

It comes as numbers from Dalhousie University’s food lab show Atlantic Canada leading the country for the highest chicken and pork prices, with beef not far behind.

“We went through a few different suppliers to kind of see what we could get at a decent price,” says Maclellan.

Sylvain Charlebois, Dalhousie’s agri-food analytics lab director, says people may notice smaller plates this year as a result of soaring prices.

“I suspect that people organizing events will perhaps downsize portions a little bit,” he says. “If they are not shrinking portions, they are likely going to increase menu prices.”

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