The province of New Brunswick is dishing out millions more for road salt to keep the roads clear this winter.
Salt is now being trucked in from outside of the province since the Picadilly Mine in Sussex closed in January 2016. That means the province is paying $11 million more for salt over two years.
READ MORE: Rising cost of road salt prompts Moncton to reduce use this winter
The amount of the last contract with Cargill before the mine closed was $9.9 million. A new two-year deal signed with K & S Windsor in April was $30.8 million.
“The new contract with K&S Windsor has several important economic benefits,” said Tanya Greer, communications director for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“Because the Port of Saint John and the Port of Belledune are delivery sites, the new contract will create economic multipliers, as the two ports will see increased business and opportunities to provide services.”
She says taxpayers will also be protected by the terms of the contract because there are “several mechanisms to ensure the province’s salt supply is guaranteed.”
WATCH: The closure of the Picadilly mine near Sussex is calling into question where the province will get its road salt
But Jodi Smith, manager of Phillips Bros. Excavating in Moncton, says the province may be paying too much.
“That is a lot and signing a contract when all these new suppliers are coming in and beating pricing, I am really surprised they signed a contract,” Smith said.
Smith also gets her salt supply from the Port of Saint John, where it’s trucked in from around the world.
READ: Why do we still use road salt and what are the alternatives?
She said she has managed to source her product at a cheaper price from a different company because competition has grown in the last few months, as new companies are starting to ship salt to the New Brunswick ports.
“We are getting salt from Eqypt. It is a byproduct for them and they don’t want it so it is coming over to North America,” she said.
She says since she used her own fleet of trucks to pick up the salt, it is actually costing her less per load this winter compared to last.