MONCTON, N.B.- This is shaping up to be one costliest winters in years.
People are paying more to heat their homes through bitter deep freezes. Some municipalities have already blown through their snow removal budgets and snow plow operators working on contract will be lucky to break even this year.
But some companies are making a lot more money and creating more jobs, thanks to the severe winter weather.
You won’t hear any complaints about the weather from dump truck driver James Rhyno. He says the snow is keeping him in a job.
“I was laid off cause of seasonal work and I got the call a couple of weeks ago to some down and haul snow out of Moncton.”
He moved to Moncton from Nackawic to take on full time work for Phillips Brothers Excavating. The company that’s been hauling snow 24/7 for the past month.
Jodi smith does the books for the company. She says she’s been working 16 hour days trying to keep up with the workflow. “We are really, really busy, we’ve got more staff than what we normally have in the summer time. ”
She say that’s rare, she typically has to lay people off for the winter “I bet ya we’ve got an extra at least 30 staff members that we are keeping going and hiring a lot of new drivers and new operators and bringing them in from out of town.”
Smith says it’s too soon to say how much extra money the company will make this winter from snow hauling operations. But it’s safe to say it will be a lucrative season.
Rhyno says he knows a lot of people are sick and tired of the snow – but it’s helping him pay the bills, at least for now.
“I am hoping I can stay on for the summer but we will see what happens, I only know week to week.”
Someone who’s not making truck loads of money off the snow is Mike LeBlanc of Riverview. He clears driveways on contract, so his clients pay a flat rate at the beginning of the season – regardless of how many times he has to clear their driveways.
“I am not making a whole lot this year but it’s what it is. It’s a crap shoot and you don’t have much choice.” says LeBlanc.
With more snow on the way for New Brunswick again tomorrow, whether you are one of those losing money or making money off of the snow, it seems there’s just no getting away from it.
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