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
CP’s shopcraft staff ratify new labour deal
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
Last-minute tentative deal averts lockout at CN
Canadian National Railway (CN) has pulled its lockout notice after reaching a tentative labour deal with its unionized mechanical and clerical staff. The company, which last week set a lockout deadline of 11 p.m. ET Monday for employees represented by Unifor, announced the agreement late Monday night. “We are very pleased that the company and […] Read more
Industry braces for impact as CN lockout deadline nears
Toronto | Reuters –– A looming lockout at Canada’s biggest railway threatens to delay imports from Asia and may compound a U.S. West Coast port logjam unless last-ditch contract talks succeed Monday. Canadian National Railway (CN) and Unifor, the union representing its 4,800 mechanical, clerical and trucking workers in Canada, resumed talks on Monday, hours […] Read more
