Fears for B.C. grain harvest, commuter train still suspended, amid rail disruption

British Columbia grain producers are closely watching developments in the nationwide rail dispute that they say could soon spread its impact beyond farmers to producers of food and beer.

Canadian National Railway Co. trains began rolling again, but it's unclear when freight movements will fully resume, after railworkers issued a new strike notice and pushed back against efforts by the federal government to get them back to work.

Operations remain halted at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd., shutting down B.C.'s West Coast Express commuter line because it runs on CPKC track.

Peace River area farmer Hannah Willms, who is a director of the BC Grain Producers Association, says the stoppage that was triggered on Wednesday night is causing problems for farmers like her who rely on trains to get their barley from Fort St. John to the market each week.

She says that compared to trains, trucks don’t have enough capacity, with one train able to carry as much grain as 300 double-length Super-B trucks, and there's "no way" to get that many on the road.

She says a lack of cash flow will put soon a strain on farmers who wait for harvest before getting paid.

“When we are harvesting our grain, we have gone all summer without income, and so we get to harvest and we start shipping our grain, that’s when we get our income,” said Willms who has been farming with her husband for 30 years.

She says if farmers can’t move their grain, it will create problems for other food sectors.

“And pretty soon the beer is not going to be flowing — we supply barley for beer,” said Willms.

Commuters in B.C. are also continuing to feel the impact of the first-ever simultaneous work stoppage on Canada's two major railways.

The West Coast Express in British Columbia's Lower Mainland remained halted Friday for a second day, and transportation provider TransLink says it can't restart until CPKC gives the green light.

The commuter train between Vancouver and Mission, B.C., has been unable to operate without locked-out CPKC rail traffic controllers.

The labour dispute has affected more than 30,000 commuters in Toronto, Montreal and B.C., including the 3,000 who use the West Coast Express each weekday.

The stoppage at both railways prompted Ottawa to ask the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Thursday to use binding arbitration to resolve the impasse.

The tribunal says it is addressing the issue "with utmost urgency" and a decision is expected later today.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2024.