Writing from Toronto, Ontario, Reinhard sums up the problems facing private sector contractors seeking salt to keep parking lots clear:

While there is a near-limitless supply of salt under the ground, North America's major producers have been unable to shovel it out fast enough to meet the overheated demand wrought by two overchilled winters in a row. As a result, snow-shocked governments have used their buying power to rope off most of the supply, leaving small private contractors struggling to keep retail, office and industrial properties ice-free.