The railroad histories of two prairie towns are on the line as CN Rail begins a six-month process of relocating 225 employees out of Biggar, Sask., and Dauphin, Man.
It’s a move that CN train crew employees were notified of in mid-July and is set to be complete by the end of January. However, the affected towns and the local unions say they haven’t been told the reason for the changes.
Biggar mayor Ray Sadler said the decision could potentially move 60 families from his town to Saskatoon, which would be a huge economic and social blow to the community.
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“They haven’t analyzed the situation enough,” Sadler said. “I think everything was done in kind of a hurry.”
Sadler said CN has been trying to get rid of the Biggar crew bunkhouse for years, where train crews were required to sleep and eat for a certain amount of down time before taking the train back to their home bases.
The town of 2,300 has already had several meetings about the relocation and members of various levels of government are fighting to keep the railway in the town.
“The whole thing just doesn’t add up,” said Saskatchewan Conservative MP Carol Skelton, who represents Biggar.
“I have grave concerns about the people who are working for them. I have grave concerns about the community and I’m very, very disappointed in CN. It’s just a slap in the face to the community and the surrounding area.”
Dauphin mayor Alex Paul was also upset
by the news.
“I just think it’s terrible. We cannot in these smaller towns afford to lose these types of jobs. It’s just like taking another business out of our town.”
Paul said he has heard conflicting reports from CN about the proposed relocations.
Indeed, CN Rail hasn’t said much about the relocation process in these communities since the announcement. Officials with the railway couldn’t be reached for comment at press time on Aug. 8, but spokesperson Jim Feeny had been reported as saying that the company’s improvements to its main line through the Prairies have made it possible for trains to cover more ground in less time.
This means a crew change would now only be mandatory in Saskatoon rather than 70 kilometres sooner at Biggar. He also said CN’s proposal wouldn’t prevent employees from living in Biggar and commuting to Saskatoon.
However, a commute from Dauphin to Canora, Sask., is not feasible, said Vern McDuffe, local chair of the United Transportation union local 1874.
He said the move, which could potentially affect up to 25 employees, could represent a loss of up to $2.5 million annually to the local economy in wages for families forced to move.
“We have railroaders here who are farmers. Are they going to give up their farming operation and move to Canora, Sask., for the American-owned railroad? I don’t know.”
