shortage

Saturday December 4, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 4, 2021

Welcome to the new tradition of Christmas tree shortages

With reports of tree shortages across Canada this year, the Christmas tree industry is warning that low inventory could become an issue every holiday season.

December 9, 2017

“It’s not gonna get easier for the foreseeable future,” said Shirley Brennan, the executive director of the Canadian Christmas Trees Association, which represents hundreds of tree farmers across the country.

Sales of Canadian Christmas trees have been growing by about 15 per cent a year since 2015, said Brennan.

And unless demand falls off, a Christmas tree shortage is likely to continue because fewer trees are being planted and climate change is affecting their growth and survival.

“I can see it being ongoing,” said Alison McCrindle, co-owner of Chickadee Christmas Trees in Puslinch, Ont.

Tree sellers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. have all told CBC News about inventory issues they’re facing this year.

January 8, 2008

An anxious Nevesha Persad Maharaj was at Chickadee for the farm’s opening day on Nov. 26 — much earlier than her family had ever shopped for a tree.

“We came out a couple of weeks earlier and, even for us, we were thinking it was a little bit late,” she said. 

One possibly worrisome sign for the future: The current shortage forced Ikea Canada to abandon its practice of selling live trees this year, because the retailer said it was “unable to secure the necessary local supply.”

Canada exports about 49 per cent of the Christmas trees grown here — and most of the trees that end up in Canadian homes are homegrown, said Brennan. Quebec grows the most Christmas trees in the country by far, followed by Nova Scotia, Ontario and New Brunswick.

December 8, 2018

The problem is that over time, the amount of land dedicated to Christmas tree production has been shrinking.

In 2011, there were just under 2,400 Christmas tree farms in Canada, with about 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres) of land under cultivation, according to Statistics Canada data. By 2016, the number of farms totalled just under 1,900, with around 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) of land under cultivation.

One reason why there’s less land being used to grow Christmas trees is because a number of tree farms are family businesses, said Brennan, and the average grower is between 70 and 75. 

Growing trees isn’t easy and when a farmer’s children aren’t interested in taking over, the land may be turned to other uses or not farmed at all, she said. (CBC) 

 

Friday October 21, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 21, 2021

The Great Pandemic Supply Chain Crunch

When it comes to holiday shopping, consumers are no strangers to the mantra “the early bird gets the worm.”

March 27, 2021

But, thanks to ongoing global supply chain issues, the 2021 holiday shopping season is expected to have a large impact on the availability and price of many products. In fact, experts warn that the window to get your hands on some of these coveted items before Dec. 24 is already closing.

When it comes to the season’s most sought-after gifts – toys – experts say the problem starts in manufacturing, from a shortage of plastic materials to a lack of chips for computerized toys.

“Almost every toy company is facing challenges, getting goods shipped from a manufacturing point of origin that’s outside of North America,” Andrew Wagar with the Canadian Toy Association told CTVNews.ca by phone Tuesday.

“Obviously, the ones that are manufacturing in Asia and in China in particular are the most affected by this. But there are toy companies that manufacture their goods in North America that are also experiencing challenges because there are ground transportation shortages and increases in gas prices.”

Shipping costs have also dramatically increased for toymakers. According to CNN, storage containers are so scarce and expensive that many companies have turned to small, squishy toys that use less packaging and take up less space to cut down on costs.

April 30, 2021

Similarly, furniture and appliance retailers are grappling with supply and demand issues.

Last week, Ikea, the world’s biggest furniture brand, warned that it anticipates supply disruptions to last well into 2022, despite leasing more ships, buying containers and re-routing goods between warehouses.

Ikea’s stores in North America are the hardest hit by product shortages, followed by Europe. To avoid disappointing shoppers, the company is temporarily removing unavailable products from its websites and store showrooms, instead suggesting similar items.

October 23, 2020

Big-ticket appliances are also hard to come by, with consumers waiting months for products to arrive.

“If you want a chest freezer, you’re looking at December. But if you want a MacBook, you’re looking at the middle of November, so not that bad,” Michelle Wasylyshen, national spokesperson for Retail Council of Canada (RCC). “It really does depend on the product, but certainly consumers should expect delays.”

The price of these types of goods is also rising.

According to Statistics Canada, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, durable goods have been a major contributor to the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Furniture costs went up 8.7 per cent and household appliances rose 5.3 per cent in August 2021 compared to July, according to the latest data available – increases that are attributed to supply chain disruptions. (CTV) 

 

Friday August 4, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday August 4, 2017

Don’t be shocked by the arrival of electric cars

When future generations glance into history’s rear-view mirror, they might agree the summer of 2017 was the beginning of the end for gasoline-powered vehicles and the start of the electric-car era.

In the space of just a few weeks, Tesla’s Model 3, the company’s long-awaited mass-market electric vehicle, began rolling off the assembly line to the delight of 373,000 eager buyers who had made $1,000 deposits, while Volvo signalled all of its car models launched after 2019 will be either electric or hybrid. Just months earlier, BMW pledged it would electrify each and every one of its makes and models by 2020. British and French governments announced in July a ban on the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars by 2040. Yet the shift could happen sooner, according to Dutch bank ING. It predicted all car sales in Europe would be electric vehicles in less than two decades.

Based on what’s happening this summer, the question is no longer ‘if’ electric vehicles will take over the world’s roadways but ‘when.’ And that’s good news.

Transitioning from vehicles fuelled by gasoline or diesel to ones powered by electricity is a major strategy in fighting the greenhouse gas emissions wreaking havoc with the Earth’s climate. The shift would also end the exhaust pollution that chokes big cities.

The dawn of the electric-car era also shows how industries responding to market demands can work co-operatively with governments toward a shared and desirable goal. Until now, the major roadblocks to electric car sales have been the vehicles’ cost, their limited range and lack of recharging stations. Each of these barriers is being knocked down as automakers build more affordable electric vehicles with cheaper batteries and the ability to drive farther before a recharge.

Governments are doing their part by subsidizing electric vehicles — the Ontario government offers buyers up to $14,000 — and installing recharge stations — Ontario committed to 500.

There is a long journey ahead. Only a small percentage of vehicles run on electricity. Of the nearly two million vehicles sold in Canada in 2016, only 11,000 were electric. But the change is coming fast. Governments can assist more by ensuring there are enough recharging stations and, even more important, that the electricity grid can handle the coming surge in demand.

The average electric vehicle uses a load equivalent to what an entire household does each day. While the Ontario grid can handle the increase in demand for the one million electric vehicles the government wants on the roads by 2025, local utility companies fear the system could be overloaded in urban areas where demand is especially high.

And those one million electric vehicles would represent just 12 per cent of the number of cars on Ontario’s roads. Yes, a transportation revolution is racing our way. Governments can help most by ensuring there’s enough energy to keep it running. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial)