Snow removal contractors face doubling costs amid salt shortage

Road salt is becoming an expensive commodity for private contractors in Simcoe County.

The heavy supply of snow so far this winter has led to plenty of demand for salt, but that salt has become a lot more expensive and difficult to come by, putting a strain on local contractors.

“To have two salt shortages in one fiscal year, it’s a lot,” said Terry King, co-owner of Ground Level Contracting.

King’s company clears commercial properties in Barrie and Orillia.

He says his cost has increased from around $100 per ton of salt to nearly $200 per ton.

“A lot of contractors are struggling to pay for their supplies if they could get them,” added King. “A lot of them are going to struggle, and some of them probably will go bankrupt.”

John Rubino’s company, Apex Aggregates & Landscaping Supplies, does both, as it uses and supplies salt across Simcoe County.

He says he has had to source from Montreal, and sometimes from across the globe in Egypt.

“If you’re ordering four loads, you’re maybe getting one,” said Rubino. “If you normally would use ten tons in a night as a contractor, you really have to watch how much you’re using now.”

Some contractors say they typically use from one to two thousand tons of salt per year.

The City of Barrie says it’s already at 10,000 tons this season after a historic winter last year.

“We were up to about 30,000 tons, and that’s probably about the most we’ve ever used,” said Dave Friary, Barrie’s director of operations.

The city would not disclose exactly how much it pays per ton of salt, but confirmed that it spends $1-to-2 million per year, and is able to pay less per ton by buying large quantities on a fixed annual contract.

“The municipalities surrounding us and the county all get the benefit of bulk buying, so we get good prices,” explained Friary. “We can lock in for a number of years.”

Contractors are hoping for a few days above-zero to allow the supply to catch up with the demand.

In the meantime, some say they have had to resort to more of a salt combination with sand, and that consumers may end up paying more for services going forward.