Manitobans react to the Canada-wide rail strike
Posted August 22, 2024 3:55 pm.
Last Updated August 23, 2024 10:35 am.
As over 9,000 workers find themselves locked out by Canada’s two largest rail companies, a wave of concern is rolling in across Manitoba, as residents and businesses brace for the impact of this strike, which could send shockwaves through the province’s economy and daily life.
“We need to have more than one avenue of moving product, and this is going to cause some issues for sure,” said Liz Kovach, the president of the Western Retail Lumber Association.
On Thursday, the Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd brought freight traffic to a halt after talks broke down with the union, and it’s left many here in Manitoba wondering how this will impact day-to-day life.
“If we learnt anything during the pandemic we know how fragile our supply chain actually is because we are so global, we rely on products to come from so many parts of the world and of course we need to be able to move it in the country and rail tends to be the number one choice, especially for large products,” said Kovach.
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Joel Hartung owns three lumber stores in Manitoba and is on the WRLA board. While he relies more heavily on trucks for shipments, a lot of the lumber does come from rail, and while he might be prepared in the short term, long term is another story.
“None of us are prepared for four months or six months, so we’re hoping this can be taken care of quickly, everyone can get on the same page, and everybody can be happy,” explained Hartung.
But, it isn’t just the lumber industry in jeopardy, agriculture in Manitoba heavily relies on freight traffic. Keystone Agricultural Producers saying this has already caused issues with shipping of sensitive chemicals and elevators not taking deliveries.
“It’s quiet unfortunate that yet again another strike is impacting the reputation of Canada internationally as being a reliable source of grain and goods,” said Jill Verwey, the president of Keystone Agricultural Producers.
Verwey says producers are still going to be out on the farms but emphasizes the need to push levels of government and rail officials, to come to the table, so that a resolution can be made as fast as possible. Bargaining is set to resume Thursday morning.
CityNews also reached out to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, which said it is concerned and frustrated over another nation-wide work stoppage that impacts Canada’s essential trade infrastructure and supply chain.
“Canada’s reputation as a reliable trade partner has greatly suffered from previous labour action. Businesses have just begun recovering from a pandemic, global supply chain disruptions and inflation, to name but a few,” said Loren Remillard, the President and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
“Our Chamber and others have written to the federal government urging their intervention to protect Canadians’ shared economic needs and interests. A prolonged rail stoppage will cause severe damage to the Canadian economy, disrupt essential services and supply chains that impact the daily lives of Canadians, and may impact our global reputation.”
Adding, “Failure to act now will cost businesses and Canadians on the shelf, and in the months ahead.”
