Canada’s west coast ports are major outlets for the country’s resource exports, including potash, coal, forestry products, pork and beef. A 13-day strike last year disrupted more than C$6 billion in trade at Vancouver and Port Rupert.

The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association said the proposed lockout of more than 700 foremen was preventative as the unit of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union representing them had already issued a 72-hour strike notice.

If the union withdraws the strike notice, Monday’s lockout will not go ahead, the association said in a statement.

The two sides are in protracted talks over a labour deal and have been negotiating with the help of a federal mediator. The stoppage would also affect the port of Prince Rupert.

“In anticipation of escalating and unpredictable strike action, the BCMEA has made a decision to take defensive action in the form of a coastwide lockout,” it said in a statement.

“It will not affect longshoring operations on grain vessels or cruise operations.”

The association said the lockout notice has been issued in order to “facilitate a safe and orderly wind down of operations” in anticipation of a strike.

ILWU local 514 president Frank Morena said in a statement that it had only planned “limited job action” such as refusing overtime and accepting some technological changes, Canadian Press reported.

The impasse comes after a long-simmering dispute over pay and working conditions, including concerns over automation, with each side accusing the other of bargaining in bad faith.

The Port of Montreal, where workers are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, saw the start on Thursday of a strike at two terminals operated by Termont, which handle 40% of the port’s container traffic, but only 15% of its cargo.

Grain and other exports from the west coast were hit in August by a labor dispute at Canada’s two major railways, which the federal government ended by imposing binding arbitration.

The government has resisted calls to interfere in collective bargaining in other disputes, other than offering mediation.

The post Vancouver port employer could shut out foremen, grain will not be hit appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), which represents about 7,400 longshore workers at various Vancouver and Prince Rupert port facilities, said Tuesday afternoon its longshore caucus had voted to reject terms of settlement proposed last week by federal mediator Peter Simpson’s team.

Instead, ILWU Canada said, its membership “will be back on the picket line for a fair and negotiated collective agreement” as of 4:30 p.m. PT.

Service for bulk grain vessels at West Coast ports is exempt from the work stoppage under Canada’s Labour Code.

Several farmer and ag industry groups had been publicly calling for federal action to end the strike, however, as containerized pulse crops, perishables such as meat and produce, fertilizer and other goods face potential delays.

The union caucus “does not believe the recommendations had the ability to protect our jobs now or into the future,” the union said Tuesday.

Work was to resume at B.C. ports last Thursday evening after the port management group, the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), said a tentative agreement had been reached and the longshore workers’ 13-day strike would end.

Simpson and his team had been directed by federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan to draft terms for an agreement to take to the union and management for their review — an option that was open to O’Regan under the Canada Labour Code.

However, ILWU Canada had not said last Thursday whether it would put the mediator’s proposed deal to a ratification vote.

Rather, it said Tuesday, with the “record profits” BCMEA member firms have collected in recent years, “the employers have not addressed the cost-of-living issues that our workers have faced over the last couple of years as all workers have.”

Also, the mediator’s proposal called for a collective agreement with a four-year term, which ILWU Canada said “with today’s uncertain times, is far too long. We must be able to readdress the uncertainty in the world’s financial markets for our members.”

BCMEA, in a separate statement Tuesday, said ILWU’s “internal caucus leadership rejected the tentative agreement, before it was even taken to a vote of the full union membership.”

The employer group said the proposed “fair and comprehensive package could not satisfy some of (ILWU’s) internal caucus leadership, and in rejecting this tentative agreement, ILWU leadership is choosing to further harm Canada’s economy, international reputation and most importantly, to Canadians, their livelihoods and all those that rely on a stable supply chain.”

BCMEA said the proposal had called for “considerable hikes in wages and benefits” that are “generally above the established norm of recent private and public sector union settlements in British Columbia and Canada.”

The tentative deal had also included “specific provisions that addressed the union’s concern regarding ‘contracting out’ work and measures to improve training, recruitment and retention of ILWU trades workers now and in the future,” the employer association said.

Among those provisions, BCMEA said, the deal called for “benefit coverage for all casual trades workers, a tool allowance, and a commitment to increase apprentices in the industry by 15 per cent.”

A statement was not yet available early Tuesday evening from O’Regan or Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, both of whom were attending the Atlantic Growth Strategy Leadership Committee meeting with Atlantic Canada’s premiers Tuesday in Moncton. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post B.C. longshore workers resume strike appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The B.C. Maritime Employers Association said in a release Thursday morning it had reached a tentative pact with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) on a new four-year collective agreement “that recognizes the skills and efforts of B.C.’s waterfront workforce.”

The deal ending a 13-day strike came after federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan on Tuesday night tasked federally appointed mediators with drafting terms for a new agreement based on progress made in talks to date.

O’Regan had set a deadline of Thursday evening for the union and management to decide whether the mediator’s terms were acceptable.

He and federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in a joint statement Thursday, said the ILWU and BCMEA are now “finalizing details for the resumption of work at the ports.”

BCMEA said Thursday morning it’s “committed to working closely with ILWU Canada and their locals and supply chain partners to safely resume operations as soon as possible.”

Thanking federal mediator Peter Simpson and his team as well as O’Regan for their help in reaching the tentative deal, the employer group said it “recognizes and regrets the significant impact this labour disruption has had on the economy, businesses, workers, customers and ultimately, all Canadians.”

Parties at Vancouver and Prince Rupert now “must collectively work together to not only restore cargo operations as quickly and safely as possible but to also rebuild the reputation of Canada’s largest gateway and ensure supply chain stability and resilience for the future,” BCMEA said.

O’Regan and Alghabra, in their statement Thursday, concurred that the scale of the disruption at the West Coast has been “significant” and “has shown just how important the relationship between industry and labour is to our national interest. Our supply chains and our economy depend on it.”

Service for bulk grain vessels and cruise ships at B.C.’s ports was exempt from this work stoppage. However, several farmer and ag industry groups had publicly called for federal action to end the strike, as containerized pulse crops, perishables such as meat and produce, fertilizer and other goods were potentially at risk from delays.

Past that, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) said in a separate release Thursday the strike “has caused severe backlogs that will take weeks to process. The damage to manufacturing supply chains is significant, as production slowed in the lead-up to the strike and will take even more time to get back up and running.”

CME said it’s been estimated that a day of a port shutdown takes up to a week to make up, “meaning it will take months for the sector to recover.”

O’Regan and Alghabra emphasized Thursday that “deals like this, made between parties at the collective bargaining table…are the best way to preserve the long-term stability of Canada’s economy” and “we do not want to be back here again.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post B.C. waterfront work to resume ‘as soon as possible’ appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

In a statement at about 9:30 CT Tuesday evening, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said he had asked the senior federal mediator in the dispute to supply him with terms of a recommended settlement within 24 hours.

O’Regan said he will then forward those terms to both the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA). The two parties then have 24 hours to decide “whether or not to recommend ratification of the terms to their principals.”

The Canada Labour Code allows for a federally appointed mediator — at the request of the parties, or of the labour minister — to make recommendations for settlement of a dispute or an outstanding difference between parties in labour talks.

In this specific case, O’Regan said Tuesday, “as a result of the hard work by the parties at the bargaining table, there is a good deal within reach — one that would work for both the employer and the union.”

In the wake of 11 days’ striking at West Coast ports, O’Regan said he’s decided “the difference between the employer’s and the union’s positions is not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.”

The scale of the disruption caused so far by the strike “shows how important the relationship between the BCMEA and the ILWU is to our national interest,” he added. “We cannot allow this work stoppage to persist and risk further damage to the relationship between these parties.”

Despite O’Regan’s plan, Manitoba farm organization Keystone Agricultural Producers and the Manitoba Pork Council, in a joint statement Wednesday, called instead for an immediate end to the supply chain disruptions caused by the strike.

“We appreciate Minister O’Regan’s directive to the federal mediator, but in contrast to the back-to-work legislation that was brought forward to address the Port of Montreal strike in 2021, the federal government has refused to take direct action that would end the strike and the associated impacts on our supply chain,” KAP general manager Brenna Mahoney said in a release.

About 7,400 B.C. longshore workers represented by ILWU Canada went on strike July 1 after serving the BCMEA with the required 72 hours’ notice. Their previous collective agreement expired March 31 and talks had been underway since that time between the parties with federal mediators.

While the federal Labour Code requires that striking longshore workers continue to handle loading of bulk grain vessels, the current West Coast strike has the potential to stall Canada’s exports of containerized pulse crops, fresh pork, fertilizer and other goods.

In a statement earlier Tuesday the BCMEA, whose members include 49 B.C. waterfront employers and terminal operators, estimated the value of disrupted cargo since July 1 at about $8.6 billion.

The association cited estimates from Royal Bank that 63,000 shipping containers were already impacted, with 13 vessels to arrive in coming days and 37 due by month-end — by which time the value of backlogged goods would touch $11.7 billion, which in turn would require “over three weeks of clearance, barring any new arrivals.”

The association also noted provincial leaders including Ontario’s Doug Ford, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and Alberta’s Danielle Smith have called for an end to the longshore workers’ job action.

Neither O’Regan nor Transport Minister Omar Alghabra have mentioned back-to-work legislation as an option, which currently would involve recalling Parliament off its summer break.

Shortly before the strike, the ILWU said outstanding issues included protection for its members against job losses caused by contracting-out and port automation, and against “record-high inflation and skyrocketing cost of living.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Feds to propose terms to settle B.C. ports strike appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Some 7,500 dock workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) walked off on July 1 after failing to agree a new wage deal with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

The union says the BCMEA is refusing to give a fair pay rise despite making billions of dollars in profits in recent years.

The strike has upended operations at two of Canada’s three busiest ports, the Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert — key gateways for exporting the country’s natural resources and commodities and bringing in raw materials.

READ MORE: Pork sector calls for essential service status amid B.C. port strike

Nutrien blamed the work stoppage at the Port of Vancouver for lowering export capacity at its Cory potash mine in Saskatchewan and warned of further hits to production if the strike is prolonged.

The strike could cause more supply chain disruptions and fuel inflation, economists have warned, just as the central bank is trying to cool the economy. The Bank of Canada is widely expected to raise its key interest rate on Wednesday by 25 basis points, to five per cent.

The estimated cost from the 12-day strike is pegged at about $6 billion, based on industry body Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters’ calculation of about $500 million in disrupted trade per day.

The two parties met in person for the first time in more than a week on Monday night, a government source not authorized to speak on the record said.

They were joined by Senator Hassan Yussuf, a former president of the Canadian Labour Congress who earlier this spring helped negotiate an end to Canada’s largest public sector strike ever, the source said.

In statements late Monday, both sides blamed each other for failing to reach a new deal. The association said its proposals to addresses ILWU Canada’s demand to expand the union’s jurisdiction over regular maintenance work on terminals were rejected by the union.

The workers and their employers had walked away from the negotiating table last week, but resumed talks on Saturday.

— Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; additional reporting by Arshreet Singh.

CORRECTION FROM SOURCE, July 11: Today is the strike’s 11th day, not 12th as reported in an earlier version of this article. We regret the error.

The post Nutrien cuts output as West Coast port strike hits day 11 appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The call comes as a longshore workers’ strike at British Columbia’s West Coast ports nears its second week, blocking the shipment of Canadian meat and most other exports.

Canadian Pork Council (CPC) chair Rene Roy said in a release Friday that hog producers “are seeking (Transport Minister Omar Alghabra’s) assistance to ensure perishable agricultural products, and farmers, do not suffer undue hardship from this labour action.”

Canada’s Labour Code specifies that longshore workers must continue to serve bulk grain vessels during such a work stoppage — although that requirement does not cover containerized traffic, which includes some pulse crops. A separate ad hoc agreement between the longshore workers’ union and port terminal management also allows longshore service for cruise ships during this strike.

“We believe a precedent already established for wheat is available to our agricultural industries,” Roy said Monday. “As representatives of Canada’s pork sector, we’re asking the minister to exercise his power as minister to ensure these products continue to move through all Canadian ports.”

In an interview Roy added that the CPC has been in communication with beef producers and other agricultural producers’ associations throughout the process.

Concerns are mainly over the meat’s perishability — and where it will end up if not shipped.

A majority of Canadian pork is exported to international markets, especially in Asia. Roy said this means that packers and distributors here in Canada will be left with an excess of meat at risk of going to waste.

“There are products that are already packed,” said Roy. “This is a real problem because it’s not frozen right now. It’s fresh.”

Many pork packers have limited storage capacity of their own, and “it’s really hard to find contracts really quickly to other countries in a really short period of time,” he said.

The CPC said in its release that unsold products will “create an environmental disposal challenge and lead to enormous waste and environmental damage — needlessly.”

Many Canadian pork processing plants set to close in the next few weeks could end up with a backlog of unsold meat products, which may lead to “millions of dollars in losses across agriculture very quickly,” according to the release.

These closures were largely a result of hardships faced by the sector in recent years, Roy said.

“The industry in general isn’t going through an easy period, both at the producer and at the processor level. We have experienced loss, financial loss in the last two years and this is one reason why we have seen closures.”

“We are we are requesting this from the government right now because it’s not the first time,” Roy said. “We have seen this happen in the past. Also, the strikes have affected us in the past.”

Roy said this call is not a sign that CPC does not support the strike itself, but a means to prevent widespread waste.

“We are not denying in any ways the right of workers to go on strike,” he said “It’s just that for perishable goods, we have to find a solution. It is not acceptable in our society to let go to waste such quantity of food.”

The B.C. Maritimes Employers Association, which represents port employers in labour talks, said in a separate release Monday that exports of other perishables via West Coast ports may also be in jeopardy.

Harvest season for major B.C. fruit exports “has just begun,” the BCMEA said, adding “up to 10 million pounds of blueberry exports are at risk, with Japan and South Korea as primary export destinations.”

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said Friday on Twitter that the BCMEA and ILWU Canada are “still working with mediators to reach a deal” and noted “government, industry and labour are all concerned about the consequences of this disruption.”

— Jonah Grignon reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Ottawa.

The post Pork sector calls for essential service status amid B.C. port strike appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), in a statement Monday, said it’s “of the view that a continuation of bargaining at this time is not going to produce a collective agreement” with its longshore workers’ union, which went on strike Saturday morning.

While any prolonged strike at the West Coast could snarl many of Canada’s supply chains, longshore work at port grain terminals at Vancouver and Prince Rupert is not affected. The Canada Labour Code requires that loading or movement of grain vessels continue during any such work stoppage. The association and workers’ union also confirmed last Friday that service to cruise ships at the West Coast would not be affected.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), in a separate statement Tuesday, said it received a message Monday from federal mediators that the BCMEA had “walked away from the table.”

The BCMEA, which represents 49 employers at B.C.’s waterfront, such as ship owners and agents, stevedores and container and cruise ship terminal operators, said Monday it “has gone as far as possible on core issues” in talks, but the union “seems to have entrenched their positions.”

The ILWU and BCMEA had been in talks with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) since March 28.

The employers’ group said Monday the union “is attempting to aggressively expand their scope and re-define Regular Maintenance Work far beyond what is set out in the industry-wide agreement, which has been legally well established for decades.”

Under their collective agreement, which expired March 31, the union “exclusively supplies the labour force” but “has been consistently unable to fulfill the trades work they have jurisdiction over.”

Also, the BCMEA described the union’s proposals for compensation as “unreasonable, and well outside the established norm of union settlements in Canada.”

ILWU Canada, in a separate statement Monday, said the BCMEA “has accused the union of trying to expand its scope of work beyond regular maintenance.” Rather, the union said, it “has been raising the issue of the rampant contracting out of our maintenance work for years” and its focus in bargaining “has been to stop the erosion of jurisdiction and the extensive use of contractors.”

As for compensation, the union said it “did not take the position that gorging on massive profits was unreasonable, but we did take the position that it is reasonable for the workers that helped to achieve those record profits in the first place to have a fair and equitable share of them.”

The union said it also “hope(s) that the association is not hiding behind the threat of back-to-work legislation and binding arbitration to avoid engaging in bargaining with the union.”

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, in a separate tweet Tuesday, said he “encourage(s) both parties to immediately return to the bargaining table and remain there until a deal is reached.”

Collective bargaining, he said, “is hard work but it’s how the best, most resilient deals are made.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post Strike continues at West Coast ports as employers exit talks appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) on Wednesday morning served the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) with 72 hours’ strike notice, which would see strike action begin Saturday at 8 a.m. PT.

The BCMEA — which represents 49 employers at B.C.’s waterfront, such as ship owners and agents, stevedores and container and cruise ship terminal operators — emphasized in its statement Wednesday that any work stoppage “will not impact employees required to service grain vessels” as per the Canada Labour Code.

Under section 87.7 (1) of the Code, longshore workers “shall continue to provide the services they normally provide to ensure the tie-up, let-go and loading of grain vessels at licensed terminal and transfer elevators, and the movement of the grain vessels in and out of a port.”

Exports of grains, oilseeds and related byproducts through licensed elevators at Vancouver and Prince Rupert totalled 31.51 million tonnes in 2020-21, and were cut by drought to 17.55 million tonnes in 2021-22.

The ILWU, in a separate statement Wednesday, said its bargaining committee “has run out options at the bargaining table because the BCMEA and their member employers have refused to negotiate on the main issues.”

Those issues, the union said, include protection for its members against job losses caused by contracting-out and port automation, and against “record-high inflation and skyrocketing cost of living.”

Port employers, the union said, “have repaid our hard work and dedication with demands for major concessions. Their only objective is to take away rights and conditions from longshore workers after having gorged themselves on record profits during the pandemic.”

The ILWU and BCMEA have been in talks with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) since March 28, when the union filed a notice of dispute, the BCMEA said.

The employer association said it has since put forward “multiple proposals and positions in good faith, with the objective of making progress and achieving a fair deal at the table.” Talks are still scheduled to continue between the parties with FMCS on Thursday, BCMEA added.

The BCMEA said it’s also “open to any solution that brings both parties to a balanced agreement.” For one, it proposed binding mediation and arbitration, but added that the ILWU has so far “declined” that proposal.

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a separate statement Wednesday that the FMCS will “keep supporting negotiations until an agreement is reached.”

All parties, the ministers said, understand “what is at stake for Canadians and our supply chains,” adding that port facilities and workers “are responsible for moving goods both nationally and internationally, and industries and consumers would feel the effects of a work stoppage.”

The ministers, in their statement, did not mention back-to-work legislation as an option to prevent a strike, saying instead that they “support the collective bargaining process because the best deals are made at the bargaining table.” The House of Commons adjourned for the summer on Wednesday last week.

The ministers said they “strongly encourage the parties to get back to the bargaining table and work together to reach an agreement.”

The ILWU’s previous contract dispute with port employers ended in a deal on May 30, 2019 following a BCMEA lockout that lasted just a few hours. –– Glacier FarmMedia Network

The post West Coast longshore workers set to strike Saturday appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

“I think by next week it’s going to look a lot better,” he said. “Is it normal? No. Normal won’t come for another month or two, but certainly better.”

Extensive flooding and landslides caused by record-breaking rainfall last month knocked out road and railway movement in British Columbia’s Interior, halting trains for almost three weeks starting Nov. 15. Vancouver was expecting to receive about 3,400 grain cars during shipping Week 20 (Dec. 13-19), Hemmes said.

“Bear in mind a normal week is somewhere between five and six thousand,” he said.

“They did around 670 (grain cars) yesterday (Dec. 14), which is really good when you consider the fact that we went for three weeks with almost none so it is coming back. We’re down to 22 (grain) vessels (waiting in port) this week. You do the math — it means they’re still looking for somewhere around 850,000 tonnes. That translates into 85 trains.”

Why it matters: Most of Western Canada’s grain is exported through the Port of Vancouver and normally the biggest volumes are shipped in the fall and winter. Disruptions can affect farmers’ ability to deliver grain and get paid for it, while grain companies are anxious to fulfill sales and avoid demurrage.

About 25 trains a day — seven of them hauling grain — are now getting to Vancouver, Greg Northey, Pulse Canada’s vice-president of corporate affairs, said in an interview Wednesday.

While grain movement hasn’t returned to normal, that was expected, he added.

“They have been moving a lot of grain through there the last week,” Northey said. “At least on the bulk side we don’t expect things to be ‘normal’ until January. But that’s not to say things aren’t moving.”

One issue the railways have in Vancouver is congestion — a problem under normal conditions given how the port is squished between the ocean, the city and mountains.

Clearing containers will be key, Hemmes said.

“They will be moving those as fast as they can so they can clear the backlog off.” he said. “And that’s going to take awhile because I think this morning there were 13 container ships at the port — 13 container ships and essentially eight berths.

“In order to do that they need to get the container trains in with the container cars. It’s not much different than grain. You need the cars to go in to get the traffic out. But there isn’t an infinite supply of container cars.”

While the railways have moved the grain trains on the way to Vancouver when the flooding occurred, the grain backlog created by the disruption remains, Western Grain Elevator Association executive director Wade Sobkowich said in an interview Wednesday.

“It’s going to take the grain industry weeks and months to clear the shipping backlog,” he said. “We’re probably talking the spring before we can say that we’ve caught up or returned to normal. But I think most grain companies are content with the way the rebound has occurred. They are seeing quicker progress under the extreme circumstances than they probably expected.”

In the meantime grain companies have, at their own expense, been trying to relieve some of the pressure on the rail lines running through B.C., Sobkowich said.

“In some cases they’ve diverted vessels up to Prince Rupert and were able to execute a sale out of that facility,” he said. “In some cases they have ceased forward sales of certain products until 2022 and they’ve re-directed some grain — canola for example destined for the export market to the domestic crush.”

The rail outage will have prevented some Manitoba farmers from delivering grain, but Sobkowich said he doesn’t know to what extent.

“Companies have been trying all they can to take scheduled deliveries,” he said. “In some cases they were not able to take unscheduled deliveries until they had better sense when it would move, but now that things are moving again I am sure that producers are being contacted and invited to deliver.”

Much of Manitoba’s grain moves through Thunder Bay until the annual freeze-up on the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway system. The Montreal-to-Lake Ontario stretch of the seaway is set to close for the 2021 season on Dec. 31.

Some Manitoba grain also moves south to the U.S.

Prairie elevators took 4.41 million tonnes of grain in from farmers during Week 18 (Nov. 28 to Dec. 4), according to the Grain Monitor’s Week 18 report. Eighty-one per cent of the Prairie elevator system was being used.

“Space in primary elevators is good,” the report said.

Total western port terminal stocks decreased to 1.09 million tonnes in Week 18, utilizing 56 per cent of the working capacity.

On the export side year-to-date, western Canadian shipments from port terminal elevators as of Week 18 were 37 per cent lower than the same period last year and 22 per cent lower than the three-year average.

While the WGEA has sometimes been critical of rail service, it’s not complaining now given how quickly the railways restored service.

Both Hemmes and Northey are impressed, too.

“I’ve said it before and I will say it again, it’s a testament to how good the railways’ engineering departments are,” Hemmes said. “They managed to take a roll of duct tape and binder twine and turn it into gold.

“They did a phenomenal job and in what you’d think would be the (worst) place to be in the last two weeks, somewhere between Kamloops and Vancouver, because you are ploughing around in the rain and the muck trying to rebuild a railway and you have to do it fast.”

Northey, an engineer by training, said what the railways did would’ve made a fascinating reality TV show.

“The feat of engineering that was pulled off, especially for CP to get their line up and going in six days or less, was really incredible,” he said.

“How they managed to do that, how they are going to get the Coquihalla (highway) up and running in the few weeks is just amazing.”

— Allan Dawson is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator at Miami, Man.

The post Grain movement to Vancouver picking up appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The Pacific province, trying to rebuild after devastating floods in November, received more rain over the weekend and this week.

CN operates one of the two critical rail lines in B.C. that were forced to shut due to flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rains.

CN, which restarted limited service in the region last week, has now diverted some traffic from the corridor to the Port of Prince Rupert, while moving some of its trains on other available rail lines in the region, the company said in a statement.

Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), the other main rail line operator, was also able to resume operations last week.

— Reporting for Reuters by Ismail Shakil in Bangalore and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg.

The post CN rerouting trains, aims to re-open line to Vancouver on weekend appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.