Per crownsown, quebec does have a large door, frame manufacturing sector, same for residential windows. Also ceramic tile, hardware....

As in local chainsaw... store and the owner was trying to get in portable saw mills made in Quebec and it was hard, apparently the manufacturer was down to three people due to distancing and other criteria.

I am hearing from my friends in shipping that everything is back ordered, what comes in, goes out the same days and is sold fast! if not pre-ordered sales.. on a number of things.. in most cases the shops that are still selling, have let the staff go and its family run.. but that might be changing soon now that we are in phase one of reopening..

Still I do not know.. how many staff are coming back if they can not get stock and backorders etc.. why open store if you can stay curbside and online with just family working. it will be interesting to see what happens.

The other things I can say is

A) I did get to my clothing shop and there was nothing in my size or the size under me and only one of the next size down in the newest and most costly, I asked the staff, did the new stuff sell out already or if they didn't get size x y z and they were like,.. we know.. this is what we got..I just blinked hard.. I am ok for a couple years for sure and I hope someone will fill that space otherwise, I guess I will be cracking out the sewing machine and making working splits for the farm..

The other thing I found interesting was the the home depo packing lot on a week day looked like it does three weeks on a weekend before Christmas.. it was CRAZY busy.. and I have to meet a company to pick up plants that had been dropped off at work site for me (back order) and it was in the "ant hill housing" area in orleans. I needed to meet a client to give them some of the plant pickup and let me tell you.. the amount of MONEY being spent on yards, decks, builds and reno's was stunning.. the reno, landscapes and handymen are rocking!

I guess I know where the "trip" money is being put..

Really should go in garden section but just in case a person is currently not a gardener... it might be wise to grab some heavy plastic film to make a greenhouse this fall or next spring. Good for a roof repair, cover firewood, vehicle.. in a pinch. I still have a roll I bought years ago but going to get more. Also bought ten or so larger 20X20 medium duty tarps and some cheaper thin ones.

I think we really do need to conduct a walk through on what we have or want and if finances permit look at obtaining or finding workarounds.

As to people being rehired etc. agree, how can you hire people if your limited to number of people you can get in the store. What’s the number, 80% of retail sales happen at Christmas? Why would one open full bore in the dead of summer! Companies cash reserves have been hit and may not even exist now, can’t see a bank loaning money to retail store selling cloths. Summer fashions sell in the early spring, what’s next is fall clothing line.

Stock market is not making any sense at all and I think the current highs are Retail people getting in on low prices and governments propping things up

If and when parliament reconvenes full time, the questions on debt will be interesting to watch ! If Little covid pops back up in the fall, it sure will be interesting and may bring a little more anger from the folks this time around. Some real serious pain is happening out there and the fix isn’t obvious.
Lots of strange signals

Per peppercorns comment in shortages on bike parts, I wonder what the impact will be to business or rather shortages with companies going belly up? All the smaller companies form those chains we see breaking due to covid and one could expect many chains breaking when companies can’t reopen.

It’s costly as sin to but two and three of the same just so you have spares but ones choices are pretty limited when it comes to things more complicated then an axe handle!

Weird people patterns or activity
As some may have guessed, I love trying to profile or figure out what’s really going on or the cause of same.
Went to visit people in the quebec laurentians and I have traveled these roads my entire adult life and for a Saturday in mid June, I Have never seen it so quite! We are talking cottage country for folks from Toronto, montreal and ottawa.

Almost no cars going in either direction, as I drove past a river where you would see perhaps an easy 25 people on any weekend shooting rapids, there wasn’t a soul, and only a tiny handful of people outside their cottages working on lawns...

With schools closed, At least one spouse would already be up at the cottage for the entire summer, then there are the weekenders and what about the people who are unemployed and simply said let’s go to the cottage!

For mid June with all of the above, I would expect to see activity, instead it looked like an off season in the middle of the week, but even then, I would say I have seen more activity!

People’s patterns seem all out of whack. Is shortage of money stopping people from going to cottage, Maybe, but that doesn’t explain those who are normally up there for the summer/ once there, you don’t spend anymore gas then if in the city. One would also expect to see people seeking safer country life then offered in downtown montreal.

Denob,I believe your in the st Jerome area or lower laurentians, what are you and others seeing. I know St sauveur, st Adele... would all be suffering from closure of restaurants, hotels etc and that would kill the day trippers but what are you seeing with cottage owners?

I am wondering how much is due to economics, people being in a funk, babysitting requirements or some form of paralysis. I am tending to lean towards people being frozen from fear or a general type of malaise/ paralysis. A big outdoor type, hunting friend and neighbor of mine Was in a real funk because he and his wife had to quarantine for two weeks. Now out here in the country, besides him not going to work, his life would not change, he could get out on his numerous toys on the family farm, build and fix up tree stands and all manner of zero change things but when I chatted with him, you would think he just learnt about the loss of a loved one. Very weird and completely unnecessary or logical.

What form of seemingly Odd activity are people observing out there?

I’ve seen land in my area selling like ever before. Plots that have been for sale for literally decades are selling above asking now.
With a bit of luck, out “micro” homestead will be on the market in a few weeks.

Well Nagol, best of luck and hope you have a good landing pad to continue ones effort!

good luck and yes, we are seeing higher prices locally as well.. I have had at least 5 peaple tell me in the past six weeks that what we have on the farm is what everyone hopes to get and I had someone "drop in" (which got stopped at the turn in) that asked if I was thinking of selling.. I was like NO and they were like here is my business card, Realtor.. if you change your mind, I have clients looking..

WTH, really.. I get it if it was just put it in my mail box, I have been getting a increase in that but bold as brass to see me working in the gardens and pull in to talk to me.. she seemed very sure that the buyers would be VERY interested in my place.. made me wonder if the buyers drive by or ?

Lol Farmgal, you must not know many realtors. As far as people driving by. When I am oot and aboot I am constantly looking at houses/properties. And I'm not in the market.

they do not normally come outmy way.. its odd for me yes lol

good luck and yes, we are seeing higher prices locally as well.. I have had at least 5 peaple tell me in the past six weeks that what we have on the farm is what everyone hopes to get and I had someone "drop in" (which got stopped at the turn in) that asked if I was thinking of selling.. I was like NO and they were like here is my business card, Realtor.. if you change your mind, I have clients looking..

WTH, really.. I get it if it was just put it in my mail box, I have been getting a increase in that but bold as brass to see me working in the gardens and pull in to talk to me.. she seemed very sure that the buyers would be VERY interested in my place.. made me wonder if the buyers drive by or ?

Interesting, Alberta is the complete opposite, especially rural. Go for a drive in the country and its just house after house for sale. You could cash out of Ontario and do well finding a property in Alberta.

good luck and yes, we are seeing higher prices locally as well.. I have had at least 5 peaple tell me in the past six weeks that what we have on the farm is what everyone hopes to get and I had someone "drop in" (which got stopped at the turn in) that asked if I was thinking of selling.. I was like NO and they were like here is my business card, Realtor.. if you change your mind, I have clients looking..

WTH, really.. I get it if it was just put it in my mail box, I have been getting a increase in that but bold as brass to see me working in the gardens and pull in to talk to me.. she seemed very sure that the buyers would be VERY interested in my place.. made me wonder if the buyers drive by or ?

Interesting, Alberta is the complete opposite, especially rural. Go for a drive in the country and its just house after house for sale. You could cash out of Ontario and do well finding a property in Alberta.

There are about 5 rural properties for sale within a 3 miles radius of my place.

Well, given hubby's job is at the moment secure and looks to us to be secure over the next years, I can't see us moving any time soon.. I fully expect if he keeps the job, that we will be here till he retires..

Locally, nothing is for sale.. its very VERY rare to see a sale sign and those that have gone up in the past three months, last less then a week and are sold.. and most for over asking.. a friend of mine got a extra 50,000 over in a bid war .. she has a semi larger (5 acres) place with a nice house but no ag rights.. i was very surprised.. they are moving north to a older farm that has 200 plus acres and is all set up.. good for them!

Went to Quebec recently and hit or looked at a few of the “enroute” stops. First one we hit was at 11:58 and there were five cars parked outside the Restaurent and snack bar shop. ONE person in line at fast food outlet! Others were probably grabbing a snack or in the washroom like me. ThT is an insane low number of people in prime summer vacation time. Other rest stops were about the same, one had 12 cars instead of the typical 80 to 150 on a quite day in early June.

I swear at times, I could look close to a mile ahead or behind Me and just make out a car on the 401 and the other side was close to the same. The economic impact is in my opinion hardly being scratched in the media.

I find it interesting that gold has just slowly been climbing up, it says something about the confidence in the U.S. dollar, and of course other fiat currencies. Gold is now greater than 2500 Canadian. Silver is now swinging upward, currently at 30 a ounce Canadian.