Eastern Ontario municipalities face a severe road salt shortage this winter, forcing them to ration supplies or blend salt with sand to maintain road safety. The issue stems from an unusually snowy season that has depleted stockpiles across the province faster than anticipated.
Challenges in Brockville and Beyond
In Brockville, public works supervisor Yanick Beaudin describes the situation as one of the most critical challenges for ensuring public safety. The city has exhausted much of its salt reserves due to frequent snow events, leaving little room for error.
“This is probably one of the worst things that you can have thrown at you, when you rely on a product to ensure public safety,” Beaudin stated.
The demand surge has overwhelmed even the world’s largest salt mine in Goderich, Ontario, operated by Compass Minerals. The company reports that the entire supply chain grapples with heightened needs from the harsh weather. Compass Minerals prioritizes deliveries to municipal clients while striving to meet all orders.
“There’s been just way too many snow events this year, and most municipalities have run through the majority of their stockpiles,” Beaudin explained. “Usually we rely on them to ship out more to us, but there’s nothing left to ship.”
To stretch remaining supplies, Brockville plans to apply a mixture of salt and sand on roads. While sand improves traction, it does not melt ice as effectively as salt alone. Beaudin expresses confidence that the city will manage through the winter despite the constraints.
Lanark County’s Response
Lanark County, a rural area west of Ottawa encompassing communities like Carleton Place, Maberly, and Perth, also reduces salt usage to conserve resources. Warden Richard Kidd notes that the county has already consumed over 8,000 tonnes of salt this season, with only 500 tonnes remaining.
Like Brockville, Lanark County adopts a salt-and-sand blend for de-icing, reserving pure salt applications for severe ice storms. “By mixing it with the sand, we’re still meeting all provincial standards,” Kidd said. “It’s just not going to be a bare road. It’s probably going to be a little bit more slushy, but it’ll make our about 500 tonnes go a lot farther.”
This adaptive strategy helps extend limited supplies while upholding safety requirements amid the ongoing shortage.
