Predicting a “challenging environment” ahead for revenue growth as crop prices slip, Case IH dealership mega-chain Rocky Mountain Equipment is set to expand further into Manitoba. Calgary-based RME on Tuesday announced its fourth-quarter and year-end results plus a deal to buy southern Manitoba dealership chain Chabot Implements for $6.8 million. Family-owned Chabot includes dealerships at […] Read more

Manitoba Case dealerships to join Rocky Mountain chain

Prince Rupert to boost container handling capacity
Vancouver | Reuters — Maher Terminals Holding Corp. said Tuesday it would boost container-handling capacity by more than half at the Port of Prince Rupert, under an expansion of its container terminal at the northern British Columbia port. The Fairview Container terminal will be expanded to more than 1.3 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per […] Read more

CP’s shopcraft staff ratify new labour deal
Repair, maintenance and locomotive and rail car inspection staff at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) have voted to ratify the last-minute deal that kept them off the picket line. The 1,625 unionized workers, represented by Unifor’s CP shopcraft bargaining unit, voted 79 per cent in favour of their four-year deal at membership meetings over the past […] Read more
CN building bypass around derailed oil cars
Reuters/Staff –– Canadian National Railway’s westbound and eastbound trains are taking wide detours around a derailed train on its main line in northern Ontario while the company builds a bypass for traffic near the crash site. The CN train carrying crude oil that derailed early Saturday near Gogama, Ont., about 100 km south of Timmins, […] Read more
Vancouver port resumes most operations after container fire
Vancouver | Reuters — Port Metro Vancouver said Thursday that operations had resumed at most port facilities shut down by a shipping container fire the day before, but that its Centerm container terminal was still closed. The chemical fire, which prompted a massive emergency response late on Wednesday and shut down a large portion of […] Read more
Sask. backs new northeastern shortline
A Canadian National Railway (CN) spur line in northeastern Saskatchewan, set to become the province’s 14th shortline this spring, has picked up provincial financing. The provincial government on Wednesday announced an interest-free loan worth about $550,000 for Kinistino-based Northern Lights Railroad to buy 59 km of track from Melfort west to Birch Hills on CN’s […] Read more

Rail problems continue as Prairie ag groups tackle CTA review
CNS Canada — Better data, equitable service regardless of where you live and service contracts with teeth are just some of the ideas being tossed around by Prairie farm leaders taking part in the Canadian Transportation Act review. “Producers want to see equitable service for everyone,” said Norm Hall, chairman of the Agricultural Producers Association […] Read more

Spring load limits to slow grain movement on Prairie roads
CNS Canada — Spring road bans are starting to be put into place across Western Canada as temperatures warm up in the Prairie provinces. The annual restrictions set axle weight limits for vehicles moving on certain roads in an effort to reduce the damage heavier loads can cause during the spring thaw period. Grain and […] Read more

Case IH, New Holland launch pre-owned certification
CNH’s Case IH and New Holland farm equipment divisions have launched their own Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programs, allowing farmers in Canada and the U.S. to buy eligible used late-model combines and tractors with warranty coverage. For Case IH, the CPO program announced Friday will provide buyers with warranties and financing on pre-owned late-model Steiger and […] Read more

ADM cuts biodiesel output as industry hit by weak margins
Winnipeg/New York | Reuters — Archer Daniels Midland , one of the world’s top biofuels producers, has slowed North American biodiesel output, the latest sign the industry is battling uncertainty over U.S. renewable fuel policy while the oil rout curbs demand. The Chicago-based agri business has “temporarily” shifted production at its Velva, N.D. oilseeds processing […] Read more