'The timing is awful': Canadian businesses left waiting for shipments as B.C. port strike ends

A day after the port strike ended in Vancouver, the docks were once again staffed on Friday.

The four-year tentative deal made on Thursday between the union and the employer has yet to be finalized, and details around it have not been released, but the nearly two-week shutdown has caused a severe backlog, and businesses are feeling the effects.

"(It's cost me) maybe $15,000 worth of gross revenue," said Pete Marshall, the owner of Sur Lie.

The boutique wine and spirits importer based in Vancouver has thousands of bottles of South African wine intended to arrive on B.C. shores this week, but with the number of other shipments running behind schedule due to the strike, he worries his investment could go down the drain.

"There's a chance if it's sitting out in the blazing sun for two weeks, the wine might spoil," said Marshall.

According to the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, there are around 63,000 containers waiting to be unloaded at the Port of Vancouver, which could take weeks to get through.

Beverly Korodetz – the owner of Stone Age, a souvenir distributor based in Vaughan, Ont. – has been directly impacted by the disruption over 4,000 kilometres away.

"The timing is awful. This is the busiest time of the season," said Korodetz.

"It involves 10 shipments and three that were sitting at the port just prior to the strike. Three en route to Vancouver and four in line in China sitting and waiting."

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) recently conducted a survey that found 53 per cent of small businesses were affected by the port strike.

The results show manufacturers were the most affected, with 69 per cent of those surveyed saying they were. Wholesalers were second, at 68 per cent, and 66 per cent of retailers said they were affected..

Dan Kelly, CFIB's CEO and president, says there needs to be a focus on clearing the backlog and getting the economy back on track, as it could take months before the supply chain is fully addressed.

"We've had supply chain issues for the better part of three years. We were just getting back to something closer to normal to have this happen. Even short-term strikes can have long-term impacts," said Kelly.

The long-term impacts could stretch to international trade relations.

In Surrey, the board of trade is concerned that with the recent instability at the port and shipments being delayed, southern trade partners may think twice before doing business with Canadians.

"They see that a strike can happen and it can impact their business over 13 days, impacting their revenues, they will make decisions to go somewhere else," said Jasroop Gosal, the policy and research manager for the Surrey Board of Trade.

Gosal is calling on the federal government to work with the business community to repair international relationships.

In the meantime, businesses are forced to wait patiently for their shipments as port workers chip away at the backlog.