Last week’s passage of the 2023 federal budget starts a 90-day countdown toward an 18-month test of expanded interswitching on railways in the three Prairie provinces. Bill C-47, the government’s budget implementation bill — which was first read April 20 in the House of Commons and got third reading in the Senate and royal assent […] Read more
Rail interswitching expansion pilot clears Parliament
Grain handlers to press for plan to be made permanent
West Coast longshore workers set to strike Saturday
Grain handling exempt from port work stoppage
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
Adjournments put off ag bills to September at earliest
Farm fuel, supply management, produce trust bills on hold
Federal private members’ bills with potential significant weight for Canada’s grain, livestock, dairy, poultry, egg, fruit and vegetable producers are now on hold until mid-September at least. Members of the House of Commons voted June 21 to adjourn until Sept. 18, while the Senate did likewise June 22, to return Sept. 19. While the two […] Read more
Degelman buys grain bagging, milling equipment firm Renn
Alberta equipment maker's staff to continue with Degelman
Regina ag implement maker Degelman Industries has bought into the grain bagging and grain milling equipment business with a deal for Alberta manufacturer Renn Mill Center. Degelman, in a release Thursday, said it recently bought the Lacombe, Alta. company for an undisclosed sum and will keep Renn’s existing employees and management in place. In business […] Read more
Complex patchwork of global rules on crop residues makes vigilance important
Keeping track isn’t easy, which is why Keep It Clean puts out an annual list of potential trade risks
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Growers are again being reminded about proper use of crop protection products and their potential impact on trade. Keep It Clean, an initiative of several commodity organizations, recently released its annual list of products that may cause trouble with export sales. “We are export dependant,” Greg Bartley, director of crop protection and […] Read more
No respite expected for wildfire-hit Alberta
Forecasts call for fire conditions to worsen
Ottawa | Reuters — Abnormally hot and dry weather is set to return to Alberta on Thursday after a couple of cooler days helped calm wildfires that have forced thousands of evacuations in the province. Record-high temperatures and tinder-dry vegetation have led to an intense, early start to wildfire season in Western Canada this year. […] Read more
Go bigger on interswitching pilot, grain groups urge Ottawa
Railways contend the measure creates inefficiencies, but farm groups say the opposite is true
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm groups from across the country are asking producers to lobby federal ministers and MPs and urge them to super-size a government proposal for what’s called “extended interswitching.” The measure, part of this spring’s federal budget, essentially gives grain shippers a choice in which railway they deal with, as long as the competitor’s line is […] Read more
CN’s mechanics, intermodal staff ratify labour deal
Agreement averted strike in March
Mechanics, intermodal and clerical workers at Canadian National Railway (CN) who were on the brink of striking in March have voted to ratify the agreements that kept them off the picket line. Unifor, which represents about 3,000 CN employees, said Friday its members voted to ratify four new two-year collective bargaining agreements taking them through […] Read more
Federal workers reach tentative deal
Over 120,000 PSAC members back on job Monday
Over 120,000 striking federal government employees are expected to return to work starting Monday morning (May 1) after reaching tentative agreements overnight. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) announced after midnight Monday it had reached tentative agreements for workers in four bargaining units who negotiate with the federal Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Among […] Read more
Go bigger on interswitching pilot, grain groups urge Ottawa
Railways say the measure creates inefficiencies; farm groups say the opposite is true
Farm groups from across the country are asking producers to lobby federal ministers and MPs and urge them to super-size a government proposal for what’s called ‘extended interswitching.’ The measure, part of this spring’s federal budget, essentially gives grain shippers a choice in which railway they deal with (as long as the competitor’s line is […] Read more