Kenney says border restrictions creating 'crisis' of empty shelves in grocery stores

Premier Kenney says COVID-19 border restrictions are creating a crisis highlighted by empty shelves in Alberta grocery stores.
Kenney tweeted out images of sparsely-stocked shelves Monday morning, saying "I’m getting pictures like this from grocery stores across Alberta this morning. This is turning into a crisis. It requires immediate action by the Canadian & US governments."
Kenney said he discussed the issue with several U.S. governors Monday, but wouldn't reveal which stores or communities the photos of empty shelves were from.
A number of CTV viewers shared photos of a mixture of full and empty shelves in their communities while a check of local groceries revealed mostly full shelves.
"I don't want to downplay or diminish some of the challenges we're facing right now. But people should not be concerned that there's not going to be enough food to eat that they don't have to go back to the panic buying that doesn't help anyone and hurts everyone actually," Sands said.
Gary Sands, senior vice-president for The Canadian Federation of Independent Shoppers, said there was no reason to panic.
"I don't want to downplay or diminish some of the challenges we're facing right now. But people should not be concerned that there's not going to be enough food to eat that they don't have to go back to the panic buying that doesn't help anyone and hurts everyone actually," Sands said.
"Omicron has ripped through the entire food supply chain," he added. "And that has resulted in labour shortages, whether it's a producer, distributor, wholesaler, packager, right through to the retail grocery store, where I'm hearing averages of 15 to 25 per cent for some of my members stores, so that that's a significant hit."
Sands said there was no doubt that vaccination requirements for truckers at the border have complicated things…in addition to road infrastructure damage in B.C. and the reality that there are always supply challenges in Canada in January because of winter weather.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police inaction allowed Texas massacre to continue with catastrophic consequences: experts
The decision by police to wait before confronting the gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde was a failure with catastrophic consequences, experts say. When it was all over 19 students and two teachers were dead.

Indigenous B.C. filmmaker says he was refused entry on Cannes red carpet for his moccasins
A Dene filmmaker based in Vancouver says he was "disappointed" and "close to tears" when security at the Cannes Film Festival blocked him from walking the red carpet while dressed in a pair of moccasins.
'Absurd' to criticize feds for possible challenge of provincial laws, says Lametti
Justice Minister David Lametti is defending the federal government's authority to challenge provincial laws that they believe infringe on the rights of Canadians, after Quebec said Ottawa's reaction to Bills 21 and 96 lacked 'respect.'
Plane with 22 people on board missing in Nepal's mountains
A small airplane with 22 people on board flying on a popular tourist route was missing in Nepal's mountains on Sunday, an official said.
'What happened to Chelsea?' Vancouver march demands answers in Indigenous woman's death
Around a hundred people gathered at noon Saturday at the empty Vancouver home where Chelsea Poorman’s remains were found late last month to show their support for her family's call for answers and justice.
Canada to play for gold at men's hockey worlds after victory over Czechia
Canada and Finland won semifinal games Saturday to set up a third straight gold-medal showdown between the teams at the IIHF world hockey championship.
Tear gas fired at Liverpool fans in Champions League final policing chaos
Riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray at Liverpool supporters forced to endure lengthy waits to get into the Champions League final amid logistical chaos and an attempt by UEFA and French authorities to blame overcrowding at turnstiles on people trying to access the stadium with fake tickets on Saturday.
48K without power one week after deadly storm swept through Ontario, Quebec
One week after a severe wind and thunderstorm swept through Ontario and Quebec, just over 48,000 homes in the two provinces were still without power on Saturday.
Explainer: Where do hydro poles come from?
The devastating storm in southern Ontario and Quebec last weekend damaged thousands of hydro poles across the two provinces. CTVNews.ca gives a rundown of where utility companies get their hydro poles from, as well as the climate challenges in the grid infrastructure.