Getting supplies to Kelowna, the long way around

• One local restaurant uses planes and trucks
• Yet more stress for the restaurant sector
• Grocery stores see some supplies arrive

The huge logistical challenges of being cut off from the Lower Mainland forced the restaurant and retail industry to come up with alternative transport plans the last few days, some of them quite adventurous.

For example, if you order a burger from White Spot or grab one from Triple O’s, chances are that beef patty will have put in a lot of extra mileage to get into your hands.

“We have a bunch of fresh proprietary products that are made specially for us, and that’s where the supply chain gets challenging,” Warren Erhart, president of White Spot restaurants told Kelowna10.

“Currently, we are flying products from Vancouver to Edmonton, then shipping to Prince George and then servicing the Okanagan from the north heading south,” he said, noting they have supplies entering the local market today.

Their full-service restaurant on Harvey Ave. opens with a limited menu Saturday. It has been closed since the beginning of the week. Some Triple O’s have been closed or not had beef on their menu.

Yet another challenge for the industry

It has been what Erhart called a ‘wearing’ last 20 months for the industry given the COVID closures, ever-changing restriction orders, and then workers hesitant to return to work for health reasons. But he added staffing challenges were there long before the pandemic, given Canada’s ageing population. However, he remains positive about the future.

“People can’t wait to get out to a restaurant and socialize, and we need to work internally and with government to again make this a wonderful industry of choice to work in,” he said.

Grocery stores call for restraint

Meanwhile, supplies are arriving at some Kelowna grocery stores following the flooding and landslides that severed all highways linking the region to the Lower Mainland.

Nesters Market, for example, which is part of a group of stores with the Pattison Group, said in a statement the food distribution network “ … is resilient and will recover from the road interruptions as quickly as possible.

It said groceries were delivered to Kelowna stores Thursday from their facility in Alberta.

“We are adapting by shipping from Alberta and additional deliveries are expected to arrive Saturday. We remain confident that stores will be restocked to the best of our ability over the coming days,” the company said.

It called on customers to only purchase their immediate needs “… as we catch up from this unexpected interruption in distribution.”

Sobey’s, which operates Safeway, Thrifty Foods, FreshCo and Sobeys stores across B.C., said all shipments in and out of the Lower Mainland are on hold.

It did not give details of recent supply deliveries from elsewhere but said they are “…exploring all avenues to get product to our stores as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“We’re asking our customers to maintain their regular shopping habits, as this will help with availability of essential goods for everyone.”

Hwy 3 opens

The announcement late Friday that Highway 3 is open for goods movement and people travelling for essential purposes only, will allow for supplies to make it through to the Interior, but it’ll be slow.

The Ministry of Transportation said with three sections of single-lane alternating traffic east of Hope, delays would be significant, given the amount of essential goods to be delivered.

Rail repairs

Meanwhile Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) said efforts to get their infrastructure fully repaired between Kamloops and Vancouver could be done within the next five days.

“Progress is being made with approximately 20 separate sections of track across this region already cleared or repaired,” CP said in a media release.

With work scheduled throughout the weekend, it’s expected that service will be restored mid-week barring any unforeseen issues.