Truck convoys not the main reason behind some supply shortages: experts
Despite a food distribution and policy professor saying Thursdays are not among the busiest for grocery stores, the number of buggies rolling down the aisles was up at one Barrie supermarket.
The store owner believes this is part of a reaction to fears over food shortages after photos surfaced showing gaps in inventory in recent weeks.
"In most cases, what we're seeing is a delay of product and not a shortage of product," says Michelle Wasylyshen, Retail Council of Canada. "We really want to make it clear that grocers have plenty of goods to provide to consumers. "
Canadian researcher Sylvain Charlebois is also calling for calm.
"You've got yourself some empty shelves here and there, sporadically. But you are not going to be running out of food anytime soon."
Experts say the food supply chain is facing several challenges, including snowstorms, strikes, product recalls, and employees sidelined by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
"Producers, processors, packagers, wholesalers, distributors, right up to the retail grocery store. They've all had huge labour shortages because of Omicron," explains Gary Sands, Senior Vice President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
Sands says a truck convoy snaking its way across the country in protest of vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers is compounding existing problems.
Charlebois, Wasylyshen, and Sands plead with shoppers to resist falling into bad habits from the early days of the pandemic.
"We can't have a resumption of panic buying. That just helps no one and hurts everyone," Sands says.
"Be patient, be kind. Look for substitutions alternatives if possible or if there's a specific ingredient that they're looking for, perhaps they come back to the store in a day or two," Wasylyshen suggests.
Grocery prices are expected to rise as a result of added pressure on the supply chain, including from higher freight costs.
On Monday, Canada's Transport Minister is scheduled to host a summit to discuss supply chain issues.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.