It is the time of year when many are hard at work in the kitchen baking for Christmas get-togethers, but the activity may not come as easy for those in Canada.
Western Canada is experiencing a major shortage of granulated sugar due to an ongoing strike at the Rogers Sugar Refinery in Vancouver, entering its third month. The Canadian market is made up of just three sugar refineries with the other two being in Toronto and Montreal. Both of those are operating normally.
A chocolate confectionery bakery shop in Vancouver is already suffering.
“It was probably about three weeks ago, we started getting shorted from our wholesaler. It’s when we started going to Costco early in the morning and trying to check out what they had there, and stocking up there. I just worry, as our demand for baked goods increases, that we won’t be able to get what we need, and we will potentially be missing out on those sales,” said Constance Popp.
Canada’s largest refinery in Montreal is sending what it can to Vancouver, but extra supplies are limited due to the season. The Union representing the Vancouver plant says workers are at odds over wages, benefits, and potential shift increases.
