Grain handling
Seaway workers’ strike underway
Management awaiting CIRB ruling on grain traffic
Unionized workers on the St. Lawrence Seaway walked off the job just after midnight Sunday, shutting the waterway to all cargo vessels including grain traffic for now. Unifor, which represents about 360 Seaway workers across five locals in Ontario and Quebec, had served Seaway management with 72 hours’ strike notice on Wednesday. In a release […] Read more
Seaway to seek order exempting grain traffic from strike action
Management, union say talks still ongoing
Facing a strike that would shut down traffic on the waterway as early as Sunday, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. has asked for an order confirming that grain would need to continue moving. Unifor, the union representing over 360 seaway workers across five union locals in Ontario and Quebec, on Wednesday served the corporation […] Read more
Senate committee pulls barn, greenhouse heating from carbon exemption bill
Groups expressed disappointment over the amendment, which will also slow the bill’s progress
Groups expressed disappointment over an amendment to Bill C-234, which will not only remove barn and greenhouse heating from a proposed exemption from the carbon price but will also delay the bill’s progress.
Investment firm buys Saskatchewan drying system maker
EIC buys DryAir for $60 million
A Winnipeg investment firm with ownership stakes in Canadian manufacturing and airlines has bought a Saskatchewan company that makes heating and drying systems for grain growers and other sectors. Exchange Income Corp. (EIC) announced Oct. 5 it has bought DryAir Manufacturing of St. Brieux for about $60 million in cash and EIC stock. DryAir, in […] Read more
Trimble Ag, Agco’s JCA link up for new precision ag venture
Agco gets majority control of a new precision ag and autonomy firm; Agco's GSI brand and others now under separate review
Global positioning tech firm Trimble is set to sell its precision ag business into a new joint-venture company that will include farm machinery maker Agco’s made-in-Manitoba autonomy arm. From farmers’ perspective, the two companies say their combined technology offering is expected to offer “seamless integration and connectivity across geographies, equipment brands and the crop life […] Read more
Panama Canal water levels at historic lows, restrictions to remain
Lake feeding canal low on rainfall
Panama City | Reuters — The Panama Canal’s water levels have not recovered enough as the end of the rainy season approaches and limits on daily transit and vessel draft will stay in place for the rest of the year and throughout 2024, the waterway’s authority said on Tuesday. The restrictions, implemented earlier this year […] Read more
Buhler books bigger profit as supply chain issues pass
Company now seeking 'long-term investment partner'
The maker of Versatile tractors and Farm King equipment says the supply chain issues that have pressured its quarterly bottom line have begun to clear. Winnipeg-based Buhler Industries on Aug. 14 reported net income of $16.1 million on $67.6 million in revenue for its second quarter ending June 30, up from $1.1 million on $57.8 […] Read more
Panama Canal’s drought-induced bottleneck eases
Some vessels detour; transits per day still reduced
Panama City | Reuters — A backlog of vessels waiting to pass the Panama Canal due to drought-related restrictions has eased in recent days after the waterway’s authority authorized more non-booked ships to pass and as others are choosing alternate routes to avoid the delays. The Panama Canal Authority last week opened two additional slots […] Read more
B.C. wildfires intensify, evacuation orders double
Rain helping slow fires near Yellowknife
Kelowna | Reuters — Forest fires in British Columbia intensified on Saturday, with the number of people under evacuation orders doubling from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead. The province declared a state of emergency on Friday to access temporary authoritative powers to tackle fire-related risks, as out-of-control fires ripped through […] Read more
B.C. longshore workers ratify new deal
Minister pledges review of 'how disruption on this scale unfolded'
Longshore workers at British Columbia’s seaports have voted to accept the terms of a new four-year labour deal, ending five weeks of labour outages at Canada’s West Coast. Negotiators with the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and International Labour and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), working with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), reached a new […] Read more