2026-04-16 from ctvnews.ca
From the party décor industry to the health-care system, a worldwide helium shortage – the fifth in two decades – runs the risk of threatening operations in Canada.
The gas, particularly in its liquid form, plays a big role in semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace, defence applications, university research and medical imaging operations.
“We often think of helium as a novelty item with balloons, but it’s far from that,” said Richard Dunn, executive director of Helium Developers Association of Canada. “So much of it is used for these high-tech applications that are central to our way of life.”
Shipping constraints through the Strait of Hormuz and damage to a production facility in Qatar have essentially cut off one-third of the world’s helium supply.
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