http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/why-are-cities-treating-ice-with-pickle-juice-instead-of-salt
It’s 2018 and Canadians are still figuring out how to deal with ice and snow accumulations.
We can’t be faulted for effort. Statistics Canada estimates that 5 million tonnes of road salt are used each winter.
Even with all that salt, there’s still plenty of ice on streets and sidewalks.
Salt, in addition to not working in the coldest of temperatures, doesn’t always stick to roads and is an important cause of corrosion. It also makes cute dogs sad.
That’s why cities have been experimenting with alternative substances to combat ice. Some of them, like wood chips, are sensible. Others, like beet juice or pickle brine, are amusing byproducts of local industry.
Winter is not yet over, and the war on ice rages on.