Swimming pool owners facing chlorine shortages and higher prices this summer
Supply chain issues are causing shortages of some pool chemicals, including liquid chorine, which many people rely on to kill germs, bacteria and to keep water sparkling clean.
“It's no different then when you go to a grocery store and there is no cereal on the shelves, now they are telling us there is no chlorine," Walter Ptasznyk, who was buying chlorine to get his pool ready for a weekend pool party, told CTV News Toronto.
A transport truck carrying a tanker of liquid chlorine was delivered to an International Pool & Spa location in Oshawa, Ont. just in time as the location’s main storage tank was almost empty.
“Normally, this tank filled three times a week and it can hold 10,000 litres of chlorine. Now we are only allowed 8,000 litres per week,” Darryl Hudgins, with International Pool & Spa, said.
The store said it is only allowing each customer to have 10 litres of chlorine per visit to make sure there is enough to go around for other pool owners.
Factory shutdowns and an increase in demand have made liquid chlorine harder to come by, which has also led to major price increases.
“Our costs doubled three weeks ago, but we only increased our prices marginally because we still need to make sure our customers are happy,” Hudgins said. “In the past few days, the prices we are charged doubled again.”
Due to supply chain issues, inflation, and increased demand, many pool products have increased 30 to 50 per cent in price in the past two years.
There was also a major fire at a U.S. chemical plant in Louisiana in 2020, which also caused product scarcity.
“Transporting the product has tripled over the past year, you have a tight supply, and you put in all together and you have much higher pricing," Harry Martyniuk, with Pioneer Family Pools, said.
Pool stores say chlorine pucks or granular chlorine are still available and many pool owners also use salt water systems, but liquid chlorine will be more scare this summer and expensive.
"It's like anything," Ptasznyk said. "If you need it you are going to have to pay for it.”
It's not clear if the supply chain issues involving liquid chlorine will persist throughout the summer months, but if you use it, you may want to stock up on it when you can.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.