The Biden administration says it is closely monitoring trucker protests over Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions at the U.S.-Canada border that could lead to supply chain shortages, but so far the potential impact on Connecticut remains unclear.
Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, said there is a supply chain issue caused by the protests, but he hasn’t heard of anything specifically impacting Connecticut.
The three main products transported across the border are fuel, food and auto parts, he said.
The protests began last month in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, over a vaccine mandate for truck drivers coming to Canada from the U.S. Truckers have blocked streets and staged protests, grinding traffic to a halt. The protests soon spread to other Canadian cities, including vital border crossings like the Ambassador Bridge, which links the Canadian city of Windsor to Detroit.
Ottawa’s Premier Doug Ford on Friday declared a state of emergency over the protests, saying he would use government resources to end the entrenched demonstrations. Canadian courts have also blocked protesters’ access to millions of dollars in funds raised by donors through GiveSendGo, after an earlier fundraiser on GoFundMe was shut down by the company.
CNN on Friday reported the Biden administration is closely following the protests at the border, citing a White House official.
The official said the White House is aware many companies and industries are feeling the impact of the protests, and said the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Council, Department of Transportation and the National Economic Council are working with their Canadian counterparts to work around the protests.
The protests by truckers in Canada have also inspired copy-cat protests elsewhere, including in New Zealand, where more than 100 arrests were made when attempted to clear a camp set up by demonstrators.
Sculley said he’s heard rumors of a planned protest starting in California that would make its way across the country, but nothing in Connecticut. If one did involve Connecticut, “we would not be a part of that in any way,” he added.
Pandemic-related shortages have affected the industry in other ways. Sculley said he spoke with a truck-hauler whose business was down because the computer chip shortage meant there are fewer cars to transport.
“This thing is starting to reverberate throughout the economy,” he said.
“We were all fairly optimistic that we were going to see demand and supply start to balance, and it’s taking longer than a lot of us in the industry originally forecast,” said Jeff Aiosa, owner and operator of Mercedes-Benz of New London. The omicron variant threw off that prediction. “Clearly, the protests now seem to be the next punch that hopefully is not protracted,” he said.
Scott Dolch, president of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, said he hasn’t heard of supply chain shortages directly connected with the protests, but said restaurants have struggled getting “proteins” — including seafood and chicken wings, which are the hot item for Super Bowl weekend.
One established restaurant owner in New Haven told him they’ve stuck with paper menus, because supply chain issues are changing what they can offer.
“It’s not like you can’t order it,” he said. “The $1 million question” is when restaurant drivers open the truck door for their deliveries, “if it’s there,” he said.
