Aerial view of Centerm, a Burrard Inlet terminal for containerized cargo at the Port of Vancouver. (Bloodua/iStock/Getty Images)

B.C. longshore workers ratify new deal

Minister pledges review of 'how disruption on this scale unfolded'

Reading Time: 2 minutes 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

Photo: Thinkstock

Strike’s impact on grain movement yet to come

Port workers union, employers reached a tentative agreement Monday morning but backlog likely to linger

Reading Time: 3 minutes MarketsFarm, Reuters – Despite grain movement at Canada’s West Coast ports not being really affected by the British Columbia port workers strike in July, there’s a good chance for issues to arise in the coming months, according to Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corp. “The volume of grain that moved in the last three weeks […] Read more


A container terminal at the Port of Vancouver. (FangXiaNuo/E+/Canada)

B.C. longshore workers resume strike

Union caucus rejects federal mediator's proposed deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes The union representing longshore workers at Canada’s West Coast ports said its members would return to the picket line Tuesday afternoon after union leaders decided to reject a proposed agreement. 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 […] Read more

A Shanghai container terminal. (Chuyu/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Exports solid through 10 months

West Coast ports move to clear strike backlog

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian pulse exports continued at a solid pace through most of the 2022-23 marketing year, although recent disruptions on the West Coast may cut into the final total. Roughly a quarter of all Canadian pea exports, a third of the lentils, and all the chickpeas typically move by container, with a strike by […] Read more


Aerial view of Centerm, a Burrard Inlet terminal for containerized cargo at the Port of Vancouver. (Bloodua/iStock/Getty Images)

B.C. waterfront work to resume ‘as soon as possible’

BCMEA, ILWU reach tentative four-year deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes Striking longshore workers and their management are “finalizing details” for work to resume at Canada’s West Coast ports after a tentative deal was reached Thursday. 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 […] Read more

Prince Rupert Grain Terminal. (Rupertport.com)

Strike continues at West Coast ports as employers exit talks

Results unlikely through bargaining now, BCMEA says

Reading Time: 2 minutes A strike by longshore workers at British Columbia’s West Coast ports is expected to continue after the employers’ group announced plans to step away from further bargaining. 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 […] Read more


File photo of the Prince Rupert Grain Terminal. (Dan_prat/iStock/Getty Images)

West Coast longshore workers set to strike Saturday

Grain handling exempt from port work stoppage

Reading Time: 2 minutes Other than those who handle grains and oilseeds at port terminals and elevators, longshore workers at Canada’s West Coast ports are poised to walk off the job starting Saturday morning. 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 […] Read more



A demonstrator stands at a blockade on CN track west of Edmonton on Feb. 19, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Codie McLachlan)

Grain vessels backing up at West Coast

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Vessels waiting to ship grain off Canada’s West Coast are backing up as blockades across the country slow rail traffic, according to reports tracking grain movement. Railway blockades have sprung up at a number of locations across the country over the past two weeks, as protestors express solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposing […] Read more

A canola field blooms in Manitoba’s Interlake on July 11, 2019.  (Greg Berg photo)

Canola supplies in commercial pipeline hit fresh high

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Visible canola supplies in the commercial pipeline hit their highest level in more than three years in the latest Canadian Grain Commission data, with the slow pace of export movement likely to keep those stocks at burdensome levels. Total visible Canadian canola supplies as of Sunday were pegged at 1.6 million tonnes. That’s […] Read more