Engineers, conductors and signal maintainers who’d been poised to walk off the job at Canadian Pacific Railway almost two weeks ago will instead continue business as usual until at least May 26. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) this week informed CP and two of its employees’ unions — the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) […] Read more

Voting scheduled for CP employees on verge of strike

Vet college’s full accreditation survives funding cut
The looming exit of one of its major funding partners notwithstanding, the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has earned full accreditation through 2024. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Council on Education, the accrediting body for veterinary colleges in North America, recently confirmed Saskatoon-based WCVM’s status as “Accredited (w/minor deficiency).” “Minor […] Read more

BASF set to pick up Bayer’s Poncho, ILeVO treatments
Bayer’s seed treatments Poncho and ILeVO could soon have a new owner, as part of another deal with fellow German chemical firm BASF. BASF, which last October agreed to buy several Bayer CropScience assets including its global glufosinate-ammonium herbicide business and LibertyLink trait, announced another 1.7 billion-euro (C$2.65 billion) deal Thursday for an additional package […] Read more
History: New Beef Cattle Have Bison Blood
Reprinted from the February 1951 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Experimental farms develop Cattalo Less that a century ago vast herds of American bison or buffalo roamed the mid-western plains of Canada and the United States. For many years these hardy animals were the chief source of meat for the Indians and the advance guard of early white settlers pushing westward in their covered wagons. […] Read more

CTA to bump up Prairie grain freight cost index
Fuel and infrastructure improvements are expected to push up the cost of railroading and, in turn, the index guiding how much money Canada’s big two railways get to keep from hauling Prairie grain in the next crop year. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on Wednesday announced it will set the volume-related composite price index (VRCPI) […] Read more

Water rights dominate Western Stock Growers’ Association meeting
Associations: News Roundup from the April 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
The status of historic water rights for Alberta ranchers dominated the 2018 annual meeting of the Western Stock Growers’ Association February 21 in Red Deer, Alta. Newly re-elected WSGA president Aaron Brower introduced the topic after running a two-month battle with provincial officials to avoid the cancellation of his water rights application that was filed […] Read more
Clerical error threatened water rights of southern Alberta ranchers
Environment: News Roundup from the April 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Historic water rights became a source of contention for ranchers relying on the Milk River watershed this winter, due to what provincial officials are now calling a bureaucratic error. Last December several ranchers in the Milk River basin received letters from Alberta Environment and Parks (AE&P) cancelling their traditional water rights applications, which were submitted […] Read more

Grain handle drops in CN’s first quarter
Reduced traffic in grain, fertilizers and petroleum, against increased costs from “challenging operating conditions,” ate into the first-quarter bottom line for Canadian National Railway (CN). Montreal-based CN on Monday booked net income of $741 million on total revenues of $3.194 billion for its quarter ending March 31, down from $884 million on $3.206 billion in […] Read more

Strike action postponed at CP
Conductors, engineers and signal maintainers at Canadian Pacific Railway won’t be walking off the job Saturday, but will instead vote soon on a contract offer their unions recommend they reject. Federal Labour Minister Patty Hajdu on Friday agreed to a request from CP to have the Canadian Industrial Relations Board administer a ratification vote on […] Read more

Regulatory change urged to help expand rural broadband
A parliamentary committee is calling on the federal government to use legislative tools to help shore up broadband access for rural and remote areas of Canada. The House of Commons’ standing committee on industry, science and technology, chaired by Vancouver area Liberal MP Dan Ruimy, on Tuesday released its report and recommendations for meeting federal […] Read more