Eastern Ontario businesses staying busy following biggest snowstorm of the season

Ski hills and hardware stores say they’re seeing a spike in business this winter thanks to the season’s inclement weather. CTV’s Kimberley Johnson reports.

Whether it’s selling ski passes or stocking shelves, eastern Ontario businesses are staying busy following the year’s biggest snowstorm.

This week’s storm became the region’s largest of the season, and Environment and Climate Change Canada says 23 centimetres of snow has fallen in Ottawa since Wednesday night.

At Levi Home Hardware in Almonte, Ont. manager Stephane Bourre says it’s been tough to keep the store’s shelves stocked for customers as they deal with the snow and ice.

“We’re having a problem with this year. It seems like with all the snow we’ve had and all the ice we’ve had, we’re running out of product,” Bourre said.

Bourre says items like windshield wiper fluid, shovels, scrapers and especially ice melt, have been popular for months. He says sleds and recreational winter equipment have also been flying off the shelves.

“The sales have gone 125,150 per cent over what we predicted from last year,” Bourre says. “So, it’s putting us into a bit of a frenzy to make sure we can keep the product in stock for everybody.”

It’s only January and with possibly lots of winter left for eastern Ontario, Bourre suggests stocking up on safety equipment before seasonal products begin to rotate out ahead of the spring.

“You’re going to start to see these things will disappear,” he says. “We’ve only bought so much allocation for the whole season. So, we’re coming close to maximizing that on an all levels.”

With all this fresh powder, skiers and snowboarders are hitting the slopes and bringing in big business for ski hills.

Andrew Burns with Mount Pakenham says the Mississippi Mills resort is seeing an increase in season pass holders, as well as day pass holders.

“Feels great to have a good season,” says Burns. “I know all the ski resorts in the area are super happy with how the weather’s been and, how the attendance has been.”

Jordan Malone says he and his family hit the slopes only a few times a year – and this latest round of snowfall meant this should be one of them.

He says the early start to the season had them looking for new equipment, including new helmets and boots to avoid long line ups for rentals.

“The kids were very excited — when they heard fresh snow — to get out,” he says. “It feels great. It’s nice and mild. The lineups are moving quickly”

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