Industry worries about what ‘double whammy’ labour disputes will mean for the country following Vancouver port strike
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s reputation in international grain markets took another hit when the most recent labour dispute shut down six grain terminals in Vancouver, industry says. Workers reached a tentative deal late last week, but transportation observers say the damage is being done. “Every two years, roughly, we end up with some form of […] Read moreTag Archives Mark Hemmes
Exports could take a hit as Vancouver grain terminals workers strike
Glacier FarmMedia – While producers could feel the pinch of a strike at the Port of Vancouver’s grain terminals within a week, the markets won’t feel much of a hit unless the strike continues for three or four weeks, analysts said. “It’s going to back up trains that are going into Vancouver. It’s going to […] Read more
Damage assessed as railways resume operations
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada narrowly averted a transportation disaster in August. Now legal experts are digesting the repercussions of the recent labour dispute at the nation’s two major railways. When the conflict between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union and both Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway came to a head Aug. 22, […] Read more
Focus turns to improving rail
When the elephants fight, the grass suffers. — African proverb Farmers can feel like they’re a badly bashed patch of turf whenever the three elephants of the rail system — the railway companies, the unions and the government — lock tusks and fight for dominance. Related stories: WP rail labour dispute coverage Despite that feeling, […] Read more
N. American farm groups ask gov’ts to act on rail dispute
CHICAGO/OTTAWA (Reuters) — Nearly three dozen North American agriculture groups, in a joint letter to the U.S. and Canadian governments, urged action today to avoid a rail stoppage. “The impact of a strike would be particularly severe on bulk commodity exporters in both Canada and the United States as trucking is not a viable option […] Read more
WP rail labour dispute coverage
Below are links to all our recent coverage of the rail stoppage that will harshly impact the ag industry. The most-recent stories will be posted at the top. Please check back often as this page will be constantly updated until this issue is resolved. Posted Wednesday September 4, 2024: Damage assessed as railways resume operations […] Read more
Canada tells railways, union to work harder
OTTAWA (Reuters) — Canada’s labour minister will meet with the country’s two main railway companies and the Teamsters union in Montreal today and Calgary tomorrow to try to avert a crippling rail transport stoppage. Unless labour agreements are reached, both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City will shut all freight rail services in […] Read more
Rail strike looms
Glacier FarmMedia – Another rail strike could be drawing near. Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) are in the middle of a strike vote. The vote comes after three collective agreements, covering CN and CPKC engineers and conductors as well as rail traffic controllers at CPCK, expired December 31. The TCRC electronic strike […] Read more
Churchill charts new course
Glacier FarmMedia – It’s been decades since there’s been this kind of optimism around the Port of Churchill and how it could be developed into a transportation hub. The money is flowing. Last month, Manitoba premier Wab Kinew announced $60 million in provincial and federal funds to get the Hudson Bay Railway between The Pas […] Read more
Bad weather derails smooth grain movement
Glacier FarmMedia – At the midway point of the 2023–24 transportation year, grain shipments are moving at a good clip. “In the last 12 to 18 months, we’ve seen some really good performance from both of the railroads,” said Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corporation, Canada’s grain monitor, at last month’s CropConnect conference in Winnipeg. […] Read more
