MONTREAL — The economic fallout of the country’s rail shutdown is set to come into focus this week as shippers and producers take stock of cargo delays and financial losses. A work stoppage that began early Thursday morning at Canada’s two major railways is slated to end first thing Monday after a decision from the […]

Companies take stock of rail shutdown’s hit to economy — and bottom lines

MONTREAL — The economic fallout of the country’s rail shutdown is set to come into focus this week as shippers and producers take stock of cargo delays and financial losses. A work stoppage that began early Thursday morning at Canada’s two major railways is slated to end first thing Monday after a decision from the […]

“The kind of disruption that we had back in July (2023), it took us multiple months to clear out,” said Victor Pang , chief financial officer at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in a recent interview. The port had already asked cargo ships to slow their arrival to avoid congesting the terminals. Canadian Pacific said a full recovery will likely take several weeks. The company lifted its lockout after the labour board’s decision Saturday evening, but employees declined CPKC’s request to return to work for Sunday. Their strike will cease at 12 a.m. Monday, in line with the tribunal’s ruling. CN, whose workers issued a 72-hour strike notice Friday after the company lifted its own lockout the day before, are already back on the job to carry out the complicated process of revving up operations across 32,000 kilometres of track.