Winter Tyre Shortage Anticipated in Canada

New legislation making winter tyres mandatory in the Canadian province of Quebec is expected to lead to a shortage in some regions. Many retailers in the Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island – receive their tyres from Quebec, and the new law is already having an affect in this area east of that province.

“It could potentially be very difficult to get certain tyre sizes,” Allan Harris, manager of Miller Tires in Charlottetown informed Canadian broadcaster CBC News. “People should get their tyres early and not leave them until the last minute, because if they do they could be left out in the cold.”

Half of the 2,000 tyres Harris ordered for this winter season are already sold, and the new Quebec rules combined with an increased awareness of the benefits winter tyres bring is adding to demand. And his experience is far from unique. Cecil Frizzell, manager of Cornwall Auto and Tires just west of Charlottetown, said he has been talking to his tyre suppliers about the situation. “They said if people (retailers) don’t have them ordered now…they’re not going to be able to get them,” he said. Frizzell has ordered extra tyres for the season, but is still not sure he will have enough.