

Back-to-work rule for Montreal dockworkers clears Parliament
Bill granted royal assent Friday night
A week-long strike by dockworkers at the Port of Montreal is expected to conclude after federal back-to-work legislation passed Parliament Friday evening. Bill C-29, introduced Tuesday in the House of Commons, cleared third reading in the Commons Wednesday and received three readings in the Senate and royal assent Friday. The port’s longshore workers, represented by […] Read more

Cost index up for CN, down for CP in grain revenue formula
CP expects lower labour costs, CN higher
Expected labour costs were the major difference in a new ruling on the index that determines how much revenue each of Canada’s big two railways get to keep in the coming crop year from hauling Prairie grain. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Thursday announced its decisions on the volume-related composite price index (VRCPI) for […] Read more

Feds to legislate end to Montreal port strike
Conservatives expected to support Liberals' back-to-work bill
A strike by longshore workers at the Port of Montreal faces federal back-to-work legislation billed Tuesday as the government’s “least desired course of action.” Labour Minister Filomena Tassi on Tuesday announced the introduction of Bill C-29, which “would end the work stoppage at the Port of Montreal and ensure the safe resumption and continuation of […] Read more

Rail shippers pick sides as CP, CN bid for Kansas City Southern
Richardson, Conagra among firms supporting both bids
Winnipeg | Reuters — North America’s freight rail customers, from grain shippers to logistics companies, are choosing sides as Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway fight to buy Kansas City Southern. A takeout of KCS would be the first major North American railroad combination in more than 20 years and create the first network […] Read more

Rural, remote crime targeted in Tory MP’s bill
Bill would consider crimes' settings during sentencing
An Alberta Conservative MP is trying to tackle rural crime by introducing a law that would punish more severely those accused of targeting remote, and vulnerable, people or property. Red Deer-Lacombe MP Blaine Calkins introduced his private member’s bill for first reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday. “Rural Canadians too often don’t feel […] Read more

Federal budget plays to mixed reviews from ag groups
Funding for green initiatives, carbon pricing rebate plan hailed
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) says it is “pleased” the 2021 federal budget included some of the recommendations it had made. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s first budget, released April 19, included significant spending to help producers transition to a greener economy and cited agriculture as a foundational pillar of Canada’s future. “CFA will be […] Read more

Montreal longshore workers escalate strike
Strike to move from part-time to full-time on Monday
Exports of containerized crops and other goods and imports of ag inputs may stall as striking longshore workers at the Port of Montreal get set to level up from part-time to full-time work stoppage. The Syndicat des debardeurs du port de Montreal (CUPE Local 375) said Friday its members, who have been striking on weekends […] Read more

CP CEO rules out raising Kansas City Southern bid
CP's first-quarter profit climbs
Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway CEO Keith Creel said Wednesday the company will not raise its bid for U.S. railroad Kansas City Southern, saying bigger rival Canadian National’s offer is “not a real deal.” The two bidding companies are locking horns to take control of a vast network of railways across North America, with CN […] Read more

CGC suspends W.A. Grain’s licences to month-end
The firm, with facilities in Saskatchewan and Alberta, can't buy or sell grain in the interim
Licences for Prairie grain and pulse handler W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions and its primary elevators in Alberta and Saskatchewan have been suspended by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). The suspensions took effect at 12:01 p.m. Tuesday, a CGC official said in an interview. “This means for a limited period of time (until April 30) […] Read more

CN challenges CP with Kansas City Southern bid
KCS shareholder warns U.S. regulator 'doesn't like overlap'
Reuters — Canadian National Railway said on Tuesday it had offered to buy Kansas City Southern railroad for about US$33.7 billion, sending shares of the U.S. rail company soaring as investors anticipated a bidding war with Canadian Pacific Railway. CP had agreed a deal to acquire Kansas City Southern for about $25 billion last month […] Read more