Halifax-area stores sell out of salt, sand as city remains covered in ice

Paul Conrod, the manager of a Halifax-area hardware store, is pictured at work.

Wet, freezing weather has coated the streets of Halifax with ice and a rush for salt and sand has emptied store shelves across the city.

Retailers say they are struggling to meet demand as customers search for anything that will provide traction.

“I am not seeing any salt,” said Paul Conrod, manager of a hardware store. “I am seeing lots of people for salt constantly for the last three, four, five days, and there is none available in metro.”

Conrod said staff have been fielding a lot of calls from customers looking for anything to melt the ice.

“We have to tell them it’s not available and we don’t know for sure when it will be.”

Conrod said some customers have resorted to alternatives like salt designed for saltwater pools even though it doesn’t have the same melting properties as road salt.

“I’ve telephoned around different areas, talked to different people, other locations, and other suppliers,” said Conrod. “We are all in the same boat unfortunately,”

Conrod said it’s nerve-wracking but most retailers do not know when more salt and sand will arrive.

“I’ll be glad when we get some here so we can satisfy our customers.”

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