Santa could be on a restricted diet this Christmas due to an ongoing strike at the Rogers Sugar refinery in Vancouver that’s entering its second month.About 138 workers have been off the job since Sept. 28 over wages, benefits and a company proposal to increase refinery operations 24/7, 365 days a year — presumably even Christmas.Supplies of brown and white sugar have been most impacted across Western Canada, including in Calgary and Winnipeg where grocery store shelves are bare. Specialty sugars like demerara, icing and yellow are reportedly also in short supply.To top it off, sugar prices are already at their highest since 2011 due to drought in India and Thailand, two major exporters of the refined product. According to the United Nations’ food and agricultural arm, global sugar production is expected to fall 2% this year..Bakers across the prairies are reporting wholesale prices have doubled since 2020. As a commodity, landed sugar in Caribbean ports has risen to almost 77 cents a kilo from 34 cents in April 2020 according to the International Sugar Organization.A 20 kilogram bag is now going for upwards of $60.According to the Canadian Sugar Institute, Canadian sucrose prices are already among the lowest in the world, because it’s one of the few products that isn’t directly subsidized or controlled by marketing boards — meaning that it is already aligned with world prices.Canada produces approximately 1.4 million tonnes of refined sugar annually, worth $1.4 billion annually. Refined sugar is then sold for processing into baked goods and other packaged products like ice cream and breakfast cereal worth another $23 billion..“Even if we went back tomorrow, the sugar won’t really be hitting the shelves in full capacity until the first or second week of December.”Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8 president Adrian Soldera.Sugar is only produced in four provinces; BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. Although Alberta is home to Canada’s largest — and only — beet sugar plant, its output consists mostly of liquid and bulk sugars used in soft drinks and industrial food production; most of the rest is refined into consumer products such as packaged sugar at the Rogers plant in Vancouver.For its part, Rogers said the Vancouver refinery continues to operate at reduced levels and is attempting to make up the shortfall at its other facilities.But union representatives have acknowledged that even if full production were to resume tomorrow, it would take weeks to restock shelves.“I mean, this must be the highest sugar demand time of the year,” Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8 president Adrian Soldera told the Canadian Press. Adding that the union and employer remain far apart on key issues.“Even if we went back tomorrow, the sugar won’t really be hitting the shelves in full capacity until the first or second week of December.”
Santa could be on a restricted diet this Christmas due to an ongoing strike at the Rogers Sugar refinery in Vancouver that’s entering its second month.About 138 workers have been off the job since Sept. 28 over wages, benefits and a company proposal to increase refinery operations 24/7, 365 days a year — presumably even Christmas.Supplies of brown and white sugar have been most impacted across Western Canada, including in Calgary and Winnipeg where grocery store shelves are bare. Specialty sugars like demerara, icing and yellow are reportedly also in short supply.To top it off, sugar prices are already at their highest since 2011 due to drought in India and Thailand, two major exporters of the refined product. According to the United Nations’ food and agricultural arm, global sugar production is expected to fall 2% this year..Bakers across the prairies are reporting wholesale prices have doubled since 2020. As a commodity, landed sugar in Caribbean ports has risen to almost 77 cents a kilo from 34 cents in April 2020 according to the International Sugar Organization.A 20 kilogram bag is now going for upwards of $60.According to the Canadian Sugar Institute, Canadian sucrose prices are already among the lowest in the world, because it’s one of the few products that isn’t directly subsidized or controlled by marketing boards — meaning that it is already aligned with world prices.Canada produces approximately 1.4 million tonnes of refined sugar annually, worth $1.4 billion annually. Refined sugar is then sold for processing into baked goods and other packaged products like ice cream and breakfast cereal worth another $23 billion..“Even if we went back tomorrow, the sugar won’t really be hitting the shelves in full capacity until the first or second week of December.”Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8 president Adrian Soldera.Sugar is only produced in four provinces; BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. Although Alberta is home to Canada’s largest — and only — beet sugar plant, its output consists mostly of liquid and bulk sugars used in soft drinks and industrial food production; most of the rest is refined into consumer products such as packaged sugar at the Rogers plant in Vancouver.For its part, Rogers said the Vancouver refinery continues to operate at reduced levels and is attempting to make up the shortfall at its other facilities.But union representatives have acknowledged that even if full production were to resume tomorrow, it would take weeks to restock shelves.“I mean, this must be the highest sugar demand time of the year,” Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8 president Adrian Soldera told the Canadian Press. Adding that the union and employer remain far apart on key issues.“Even if we went back tomorrow, the sugar won’t really be hitting the shelves in full capacity until the first or second week of December.”
