an ongoing house - building boom, which means Builders are buying up the available supply of key renovation materials. As we were stuck in our homes, we also found the time and repurposed vacation funds to complete our own renovations! Most are familiar with the struggle in late 2020 to get lumber and almost any other construction material. It ’ s not just lumber (still). Items affected include windows, doors, fire safety equipment, hand sanitizer, kitchen appliances and any number of other materials. Boards of Directors cannot accommodate the needs of their Corporations, let alone the wants of individual owners beyond the basic necessities. Many are being forced to implement stop - gap measures when the materials required for basic safety are unavailable. We ’ re nearing the end of the maintenance season and some contracts issued in or before March 2021 are still not completed. Asphalt plants are getting ready to close and the ground is too soggy to support most major landscaping projects. Many owners are left wondering “ But when will I get what I ’ ve been asking for? ” Efforts to fix it We ’ ve been hit hard and from multiple angles, but there are many efforts to ease the pain of the shortage economy. Some are temporary and some are going to cause far - reaching changes. During the height of the pandemic, there were government subsidies for businesses and private citizens. This helped many get through the worst times. Now that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) has ended (early October 2021), many of us have hope that the labour shortages will ease, as many are forced back into the labour market. Globally, $10.4 trillion is being spent by governments on stimulating economies. Borders are opening to private travel, allowing citizens to source materials, as well as businesses. Ports like that in Los Angeles and big suppliers like Walmart are opening for up to 24 hours/day to try to facilitate the movement of goods. Companies are hiring truck drivers with signing bonuses because there aren ’ t enough drivers to get goods where they need to go. Other companies are realizing that wages need to be higher to attract the workers they need.
Things are Looking … Forward
Most of this article was explaining why you ’ ve been waiting 5 months for a patio door replacement or four months for a mason to repair your wall. But we ’ re feeling hopeful that the efforts being made to improve the situation will catch up a bit over the winter. The semiconductor shortage is predicted to last until 2023 but we ’ re hoping other materials catch up sooner.
When you ask, “ why is it taking so long? ” please remember, people around the world are feeling the same way.
- JD
CCI Review 2021/2022 —November 2021 - 24
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