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

B.C. longshore workers ratify new deal
Minister pledges review of 'how disruption on this scale unfolded'

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rail unloads at Vancouver, Thunder Bay ahead of last year’s pace
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The numbers of railcars unloaded at each of Canada’s major grain ports varies as to whether they’re ahead of last year’s pace, according to a report from Quorum Corp. Terminal unloads at Vancouver jumped 22 per cent during week 47 of the 2019-20 crop year, compared to the same week in 2018-19. For […] Read more

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

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