Trades feel the pain of less cold
Auto shops and fuel services see drop in business due to mild temperatures
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The weather outside might not be frightful but the lack of cold sure is for many businesses in the city.
Autotec owner/operator Brian Hixenbaugh said in an interview on Monday this year he's definitely felt the negative side of the recent amount of unusually warm weather.
Autotec owner/operator Brian Hixenbaugh in his shop on Old Airport Road on Monday. Hixenbaugh said his business is one of many in Yellowknife that has suffered due to the milder winter temperatures this year. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo |
"I believe all the auto dealerships and repair shops in Yellowknife have felt the sting," he said, estimating temperatures to be about 10 to 14 degrees higher than normal. "When there's nobody coming to your door to have your car fixed, obviously business isn't as busy as it should be."
While Hixenbaugh said it's still considered early in the season, the higher temperatures are already being felt by a variety of trades and supply companies.
"The fuel companies, they're coming to your house instead of twice a month they're coming once every month and a half," he said. "The plumbers aren't coming out to fix your frozen water pipes, the propane drivers aren't bringing your propane or fixing your furnace. It's a trickle down effect.
"No one in Yellowknife understands sometimes how huge it is when you get a mild start to the winter."
Hixenbaugh, who has been a Yellowknife resident for more than two decades, said while there have been above-normal warm starts to the winter before, this year has been unusually mild so far.
"Now we'd be in the mid-to-late 20s on a pretty regular basis," he said.
As a result, Autotec has seen a much smaller number of vehicles being completely winterized.
Hixenbaugh hasn't had to adjust how many parts he's regularly ordering or the number of staff he has just yet but he said the slippery conditions on the roads means sales of winter tires are actually up this year.
According to Hixenbaugh, tows have been the hardest hit. "We're seeing about 75 per cent tows in the months of November and December because the weather's been mild," he said. "Just based on our business here, that's what I'm seeing."
Not far away, DJ Clark of DJ Towing said things are about the same as usual and business doesn't pick up until January or February. Even so, Hixenbaugh said aside from the government and the diamond mines, just about every business in Yellowknife relies on the freezing temperatures.
"Unless you're selling newspapers, all the trades need the cold weather," he said. "Bring it on."
