First it was West Coast labour strife that was backing up Prairie grain shipments.Now a similar dispute in Eastern Canada is threatening to block agricultural exports from Thunder Bay to the Atlantic coast.That’s because 360 workers with the government-established St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. have been off the job since Sunday and federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan refuses to intervene in the dispute.Already 100 cargo ships are backed up from Lake Superior to Montreal, effectively blocking tens of millions of dollars worth of products such as grain and potash through the port of Thunder Bay during peak harvest season.."It's the busy time of the season for shipping grain as well as potash and other Western Canadian commodities,"Chris Heikkinen, CEO Port of Thunder Bay.Also known as Highway H2O, the shipping lane facilitates other products such as soybeans, iron ore, petroleum, stone and even coal — from both Canada and the US."It's the busy time of the season for shipping grain as well as potash and other Western Canadian commodities," Chris Heikkinen, the Port of Thunder Bay's chief executive officer, told the CBC. "So every day that the strike continues has an impact here in Thunder Bay." Representatives from both sides are scheduled to get back to the table on Friday but Prairie farmers have noted a sense of urgency if the strike drags on, because the seaway typically freezes in winter, halting traffic..The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said the strike is costing Canadians as much as $34 million a day and is “urging the Government of Canada to immediately intervene to prevent further disruption to Canada’s supply chains and limit the impact on Canadians, who are bearing the cost of inflationary pressures.” “Particularly at this critical time, Canadians need stability in our supply chains. We urge the Government of Canada to use all the tools in its toolbox to solve this strike immediately,” said Vice-President Robin Guy. .For his part, O’Regan said his department continues to monitor the situation but has no plans to intervene. On Wednesday he called on both sides to return to the bargaining table.“We just keep talking to our American counterparts. They're obviously very concerned and have a lot at stake, as do a lot of members of this caucus around the Great Lakes communities," O'Regan said Wednesday. The 600-km St. Lawrence seaway was considered a feat of engineering when it was completed in 1959 under a bilateral treaty with the US. In 2022 it shipped about 136 million metric tonnes of cargo from ports in both countries worth about $34 billion.
First it was West Coast labour strife that was backing up Prairie grain shipments.Now a similar dispute in Eastern Canada is threatening to block agricultural exports from Thunder Bay to the Atlantic coast.That’s because 360 workers with the government-established St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. have been off the job since Sunday and federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan refuses to intervene in the dispute.Already 100 cargo ships are backed up from Lake Superior to Montreal, effectively blocking tens of millions of dollars worth of products such as grain and potash through the port of Thunder Bay during peak harvest season.."It's the busy time of the season for shipping grain as well as potash and other Western Canadian commodities,"Chris Heikkinen, CEO Port of Thunder Bay.Also known as Highway H2O, the shipping lane facilitates other products such as soybeans, iron ore, petroleum, stone and even coal — from both Canada and the US."It's the busy time of the season for shipping grain as well as potash and other Western Canadian commodities," Chris Heikkinen, the Port of Thunder Bay's chief executive officer, told the CBC. "So every day that the strike continues has an impact here in Thunder Bay." Representatives from both sides are scheduled to get back to the table on Friday but Prairie farmers have noted a sense of urgency if the strike drags on, because the seaway typically freezes in winter, halting traffic..The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said the strike is costing Canadians as much as $34 million a day and is “urging the Government of Canada to immediately intervene to prevent further disruption to Canada’s supply chains and limit the impact on Canadians, who are bearing the cost of inflationary pressures.” “Particularly at this critical time, Canadians need stability in our supply chains. We urge the Government of Canada to use all the tools in its toolbox to solve this strike immediately,” said Vice-President Robin Guy. .For his part, O’Regan said his department continues to monitor the situation but has no plans to intervene. On Wednesday he called on both sides to return to the bargaining table.“We just keep talking to our American counterparts. They're obviously very concerned and have a lot at stake, as do a lot of members of this caucus around the Great Lakes communities," O'Regan said Wednesday. The 600-km St. Lawrence seaway was considered a feat of engineering when it was completed in 1959 under a bilateral treaty with the US. In 2022 it shipped about 136 million metric tonnes of cargo from ports in both countries worth about $34 billion.
