Farmer Clem's closing most garden centres after harsh winter

Farmer Clem's is closing all but one of its garden centres in Nova Scotia after the harsh winter caused extensive damage to the stores.

Vernon Blois, the owner of Clem Co Gardens, said his buildings weren't insured for heavy snow loads.

"We will close. We don't have the resources to rebuild our stores," he said.

Blois, speaking at his Fall River location, estimated it would cost several hundred thousand dollars to repair the damage.

"We've lost most of our buildings. On this particular property, it is damaged very severely," he said Friday.

"We don't have the window of time to fix the building prior to the season because we still have snow. Everything is still frozen in."

The company's Hammonds Plains store will continue operating with a staff of about 15. Farmer Clem's usually employs 130 people seasonally. Because of the snow, the Hammonds Plains location will open six weeks behind schedule, in early May.

Other stores in Dartmouth, Fall River, Lower Sackville and Sydney will not open this summer.

Blois also said damage to the greenhouses that supply his business means there is a shortage of bedding plants.

"We're noted for our local product and our quality product and we can't bring that in from outside the province," he said.

"We've called a lot of local suppliers and informed them of our closure and they are cutting their production. As a consequence, they'll have more difficulty making their mortgage payments. It impacts their families as well."

$8.5M in damage to growers

After half a century selling local products, Blois compares the closures to a death in the family.

"I started selling gardening seeds door to door when I was 11. So it is difficult," he said.

Blois said he wishes the provincial government offered more support for small businesses.

"Governments aren't willing to give disaster relief or any assistance to small businesses. They are busy spending their money with the Royal Banks and big institutions, rather than small business," he said.

Meanwhile, Greenhouse Nova Scotia said 62 agriculture producers have reported a combined $8.5 million in damage caused by the winter storms and snowfall.

The organization expects that number to grow because some producers have been unable to assess the full extent of the damage. Reports are coming in from across the province from sectors including maple producers and greenhouses.

A spokesperson for Greenhouse Nova Scotia said the organization has been in talks with the province about the potential for compensation for producers.