COMPANY NEWS

November 18, 2019 – We would like to update you on CN’s collective bargaining with the Teamsters Canadian Rail Conference (TCRC-CTY), which represents approximately 3,200 of CN employees working as train conductors and railyard coordinators in Canada. Both parties have been in active negotiations all day with the assistance of a federally appointed mediator. Both sides are hoping for a deal before the strike deadline of 00:01 hours EST Tuesday, November 19, 2019.

In the event of a work stoppage:

• Should TCRC employees decide to strike, CN Rail will not be able to continue operations due to the size of the strike and there will be significant disruption to all levels of service.

• In case of a work stoppage, Canaan Transport has alternative means to move goods, albeit at a higher cost. Please contact us and we can advise your options.

November 18, 2019 – We would like to update you on CN’s collective bargaining with the Teamsters Canadian Rail Conference (TCRC-CTY), which represents approximately 3,200 of CN employees working as train conductors and railyard coordinators in Canada. Negotiations continued throughout the night and early morning and will resume later today. We will continue to work with the TCRC-CTY in order to reach a fair agreement before the strike deadline of 00:01 hours EST Tuesday, November 19, 2019. This weekend, CN has been clearing their mainline to prevent trains from becoming stranded out on the network if a labour stoppage occurs. Similarly, as communicated last night, to keep their yards from becoming congested at the time of a work stoppage, as of this morning they have stopped pulling cars released from customer sidings. Canaan Transport continues to monitor the situation closely.

November 17, 2019 – Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons (TCRC-CTY), which represents approximately 3,200 CN employees working as train conductors and railyard coordinators in Canada, issued a strike notice on Saturday, putting them in a position to strike as early as 00:01 hours Eastern time on Tuesday, November 19. CN advises that it will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a fair agreement before the strike deadline and remains committed to constructive talks to reach an agreement without a work stoppage. In a notice to stakeholders, James Cairns, Senior Vice-President, Rail Centric Supply Chain and Keith Reardon, Senior Vice-President, Consumer Product Supply Chain, said they believe that, with the assistance of federal mediators, CN and the Teamsters can avoid a labour dispute that would be "very disruptive to the Canadian economy." In the event of a work stoppage, said the notice, CN does not have a sufficient number of qualified managers to maintain safe operations across its Canadian network. Should employees decide to strike, customers should anticipate service disruptions. The Freight Management Association of Canada shared that it was informed of the involvement of Labour Canada’s mediators in the negotiations. In other CN-related news, the company announced last week that it will "lay off an unspecified number of workers and take other measures to reflect demand," as reported by Global News.

November 14, 2019 – Local snowy and cold weather are still hampering pickups and deliveries in the Toronto region. Affected customers will be contacted if there are delays with your shipments. Thank you for your patience.

November 11, 2019 – Due to the snow storm in Ontario today, our pickups and deliveries in the region will be impacted. We ask for your patience with our drivers.

November 4, 2019 – The U.S. House of Representatives is making progress every day toward approving the trade agreement President Donald Trump worked out with Canada and Mexico, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday. The House is on a “path to yes,” Pelosi said about ratifying the agreement, which was signed nearly a year ago, adding that her chamber’s inquiry into whether Trump should be impeached has “nothing to do” with its work on the agreement.

October 29, 2019 – Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) at Canadian National (CN) could go on strike as early as Tuesday, November 19 at 0001. Approximately 3,000 conductors, trainpersons and yardpersons voted 99.2% in favour of strike action last month. The union will give at least 72 hours’ notice of any strike action. The legally mandated conciliation period ended on Friday, October 25. The union and the company have been in negotiations for six months and have been working with federal mediators for the past four. The next round of talks with the company and federal mediators is set for November 12.

October 28, 2019 – November will be a decisive month for ocean carriers as they go all out to push up container spot rates on the key tradelanes of Asia-Europe and the transpacific. According to Alexander Borulev, commodity associate at S&P Global Platts, rates are “no longer falling” due to the blanking programs of the carriers. And they are preparing a raft of FAK and general rate increases for November 1. However, the extent of the challenge facing the global carriers is evidenced by Friday’s Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), which continues to record substantially depressed rate levels for both routes.

October 21, 2019 – General Motors Canada resumed vehicle production at its Oshawa, Ont. facility on Friday despite the continued labour conflict in the United States, where 48,000 workers will continue to strike for at least one more week as the United Auto Workers members vote whether to ratify the tentative agreement with the automaker. GM Canada was forced to scale back production at its plants in Oshawa and St. Catharines, Ont. during the strike given the integrated, just-in-time nature of North America’s auto manufacturing industry. It closed the Oshawa plant first, halting car and truck production and sending about 2,100 workers home one month ago.

October 15, 2019 – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has officially announced that for certain products, the 10% tariff (now 15%) will be delayed until December 15. Some of these products include cell phones, laptop computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing.