Vancouver businesses feeling the pinch of Rogers Sugar strike

Metro Vancouver stores are seeing their sugar inventories get lower by the day, almost a month after workers at the Rogers Sugar Refinery in Vancouver walked off the job.

On Granville Island, there are several bakeries housed inside the markets that rely on Rogers Sugar to keep their production flowing. Lee’s Donuts, a fan favourite on the island, says it is already feeling the impacts of the strike.

“I’ve had to reach out to multiple suppliers,” Carol Kaesbauer, regional manager for Lee’s Donuts, told CityNews. Kaesbauer said she normally deals with only one sugar supplier, but has sourced out to multiple suppliers during the shortages.

“There have been price increases,” she said. “I’m definitely monitoring our supply, kind of keeping a really close eye on it.”

At nearby bakery, A Bread Affair, sugar isn’t relied on as heavily, but staff say it’s just one more ingredient shortage during what has already been a tough time due to the pandemic and inflation.

Alex McCarthy, team lead at A Bread Affair Granville Island, told CityNews that his staff recently got a message from a delivery driver saying, “We’re going to be having a shortage coming soon. We’re going to be rationing down to two bags a week. If that’s not within your parameters, then you’re going to need to find an alternative supplier.”

The union representing workers at Rogers Sugar has been on strike since Sept. 28. It says one of its demands is an end to continuous shifting, which includes working long hours for long stretches of time.

“We want our dental benefits maintained,” said Adrian Soldera, president of Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8. “We’re looking for an increase in pension, obviously an increase in wage.”

A statement from Lantic Inc. and Rogers Sugar says, in part, “The company will not be commenting the situation publicly out of respect for the collective bargaining process. We remain willing to negotiate and are committed to reaching an agreement that is acceptable to both parties. In the meantime, the Vancouver plant is operating at a level that supports our customers.”

Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University’s Agrifood Analytics Lab, said, “People buying sugar for home cooking and baking — that’s probably going to be an issue. And I’m just hoping that there’s not going to be any hoarding going on, or stockpiling, because that’s the worst thing you want to do, as stockpiling will lead to higher food prices.”

Those on the picket lines say they want to get back to work, but not before there’s common ground is found at the bargaining table.

Rogers Sugar’s stock price has dropped approximately seven per cent since workers walked off the job Sept. 28. The refinery in Vancouver supplies the Western United States, among other areas, and produces up to 240,000 tonnes of sugar per year.

With files from Pippa Norman.