Rising diesel costs have some snow removal companies increasing prices

Snow season is right around the corner and Kodiak Snow Removal is gearing up its fleet of tractors. The company has hundreds of bookings from people in Canada and Stittsville who are looking to have their driveways plowed this winter. They usually pay around $550 but this season it's going to cost them more. Kodiak is charging an additional $2 fee during each snowfall to offset how much it's paying for fuel. It expects that to work out to $48 per customer over the season. We're not getting more profit out of our pocket. We want to cover the cost, and I don't want it to hurt the client. Worry-free snow blowing in Nepean is also making a tough call. This year, I raised the price to $30. CEO Denis Berube says he's charging each client an extra $30 this year. Fuel prices have spiked because of the war in the Middle East. According to one economist, the outlook isn't very optimistic. He says fuel prices are expected to remain high over the coming months with many oil refineries in the Middle East suffering damage and operating at about 75% of their pre-war capacity. This has led to a global shortage of diesel fuel and as a result, we've seen the highest recorded prices for diesel fuel that we've ever seen. Singer said it's a problem most of Kodiak's clients seem to understand. One they're also facing themselves at the pump and in their homes. It's not scaring them. They understand about the extra costs and I haven't heard anybody give any grief over that. It's not just fuel prices driving up snow removal costs. It affects the price of tractors. Berube says staffing and equipment has also become more expensive in part due to a U.S. tariff on Canadian steel. Chuck Tinte, CBC News, Ottawa.