Logipack, which makes wood packaging crates in Quebec’s Lanaudière region, is struggling to keep up with the price of materials, Le Journal de Montréal reports. At the same time, money isn’t enough to persuade workers to stay on board. “A two-by-four costs almost three times as much as last year, so the purchase of wood materials, panels, and planks now represents a bigger expense than all the salaries,” said Martine Mérette, the company’s co-owner. “It’s my main expense.
“We have the same sales as last year of $3.5 million, but we did half as much work,” she adds. “I’m forced to sell for more, or I might as well go out of business, because of the price of wood.”
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, a quarter of small and medium-sized businesses have been obliged to pass up contracts for want of personnel. It’s calling on the federal government to adopt measures such as tax relief to help remedy the problem.
