The founder of Microsoft is also the largest farmland owner in the United States and has invested heavily in plant protein
The fourth richest man in the world has quietly become by far the biggest shareholder in Canada’s largest railway. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has amassed a sizeable ownership stake in Canadian National Railway Co. Most of those shares were acquired through Cascade Investment LLC, an investment firm solely owned by Gates. Cascade owns 101,400,770 shares, […] Read moreTag Archives grain transportation
Grain drives Thunder Bay’s successful year
Officials with the Port of Thunder Bay say the 2020 shipping season was the port’s most successful in more than two decades. The northern Ontario port moved nearly 10.2 million tonnes of cargo in 2020, up from 9.3 million tonnes in 2019. Higher grain volumes were a key driver behind the port’s improved cargo volumes. […] Read more
Cabinet shuffle produces new transport minister
A small cabinet shuffle in Ottawa has resulted in changes in three portfolios, including transport. Omar Alghabra is a newcomer to cabinet, although he served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of international trade diversification. First elected in 2006, he represents Mississauga Centre. While much of his focus will be on the airline industry, which […] Read more
Grain handling system sees major overhaul
Every element of the system has radically evolved since the mid-1990s, from trucks to elevators to trains to ports
In almost every way, the Canadian grain handling and exporting system is a quantum leap forward from where it was a quarter of a century ago. “There’s been more change in the last 25 years than, I think, the previous 50,” said Mark Hemmes, the president of the federally appointed grain handling monitor Quorum Corp. […] Read more
Major railways exceed revenue cap
The pandemic has hit railways hard, as shipments of commodities and consumer demand fell for much of 2020. However, there was one bright spot for the railways — grain. Canadian Pacific Railway’s grain shipping revenue was a hair below $1 billion as it earned $999,230,808 during the 2019-20 crop year. Canadian National Railway’s grain revenue […] Read more
Transport changes get good reviews
Grain industry players say the legislation that modernized transportation regulations two years ago is generally working as intended. Bill C-49, formally known as the Transportation Modernization Act, passed in the spring of 2018 with the promises of more transparency from the railways, reciprocal penalties within service agreements and long-haul interswitching options, among others. Farmers applauded […] Read more
Grain still pouring through Thunder Bay
Prairie grain continued to flow through the Ontario Port of Thunder Bay at a brisk pace last month, buoyed by strong export demand for wheat and a rail system that’s been moving grain at a record pace since early March. Chris Heikkinen, finance and communications co-ordinator with the Thunder Bay Port Authority, said the port […] Read more
Grain supply chain performing ‘pretty well’
A top executive at Canada’s largest grain handling and exporting company says the country’s grain supply chain has performed reasonably well despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In an exclusive interview with The Western Producer April 17, Jean-Marc Ruest, senior vice-president of corporate affairs with Richardson International, said the Canadian grain industry has been […] Read more
Shippers reassure nervous buyers
Canada’s grain customers are getting antsy about food security, say industry officials. “What we have seen is communication from some of our more important trading partners that are looking for certainty of supply into the future,” said Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association. There has been contact at the trade association […] Read more
Interruptions are inevitable, grain transportation needs backup plan
Canada needs a transportation resiliency plan, says a senior executive of a major agricultural commodity group. This shipping season has highlighted how vulnerable the system is to a myriad of disruptions, said Pulse Canada president Greg Cherewyk. There has been a “perfect storm” of obstacles in 2019-20. But there will always be something interrupting the […] Read more
