October 24, 2024 – A number of terminals at the Port of Montreal will be closed from October 27 to 28th as a result of strike action by the union. Canaan Transport will be advising our customers if their shipments are affected.
October 23, 2024 – Canadian shipping stakeholder hopes of a prompt resolution of the dispute at the Port of Montreal have been quashed, after Canadian Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon’s proposal for “special mediation” was rejected. Last week, Mr. MacKinnon made a proposal to the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and Montreal Longshoremen’s union Local 375 to appoint a special mediator so the parties could “resume negotiations without any pressure tactics from either side, over a 90-day period.” But Mr. MacKinnon wrote on X yesterday: “The parties have been unable to reach an agreement,” indicating that a mediator would therefore not be appointed. But he urged: “They must find a path forward towards a negotiated settlement as quickly as possible,” and added that he would “continue to closely monitor the situation.” Meanwhile, the overtime ban at the port that started on October 11 is set to last indefinitely.
October 21, 2024 – Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, announced last week the launch of public consultations on potential new measures to strengthen the enforcement, under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and in alignment with the United States and Mexico, of Canada’s ban on the import of goods produced by forced labour. These consultations will complement the public consultations held in October 2023 on the eradication of forced labour from the country’s supply chains.
October 16, 2024 – A meeting was held on Tuesday with federal Minister of Labour Steven MacKinnon to advance the matter of the labour contract between the MEA and the Montreal Longshoremen’s Union. The meeting was attended by both the employer and the union. During the meeting, the Minister proposed the appointment of a special mediator so the parties can resume negotiations, without any pressure tactic from either party for a period of 90 days. The MEA and the union must submit their respective responses to the Minister of Labour no later than Friday at 5:00 pm.
October 4, 2024 – The cutover period begins today, October 4, 2024, at 4:00 PM ET, and will extend until October 21, 2024, at 3:00 AM ET. During this time, CARM will officially serve as the platform for importers, brokers, and other trade partners to account for goods and make payments of duties and taxes directly to the CBSA. As a reminder, CARM Release 3 will be fully implemented on October 21, 2024, marking the retirement of several legacy CBSA systems, including the Customs Commercial System (CCS) and the Customs Automated Data Exchange (CADEX), as CARM takes over.
Important Points for the Cutover Period:
• Release Processing: This will remain operational, but please be aware that a maintenance window is scheduled from October 5, 2024, at 10:00 PM until October 6, 2024, at 8:00 AM.
• Transaction Accounting: Accounting submissions will be temporarily halted and will resume based on the CAD submission schedule outlined in Customs Notice 24-29.
• Release Prior to Payment (RPP): Your existing RPP privileges remain unaffected, and broker RPP bonds can continue to be used under the current procedures. Once CARM is launched, importers can obtain RPP privileges by establishing their own financial security arrangements or by posting a bond. Canaan Transport can assist with this.
• CARM Client Portal: Please note that the CARM Client Portal (CCP) will be unavailable during this cutover period. Portal access will resume after October 21, 2024, at 3:00 AM ET.
• New Importer Accounts: New RM account designations will continue until October 18, 2024, at 12:00 PM ET.
Action Required: If you have not yet registered, registration will reopen on October 21, 2024.
October 3, 2024 – An agreement has been reached tonight between the union and the terminal operators and the ports will reopen in the morning along the US East Coast and Gulf Coast. Canaan Transport congratulates the parties on reaching an agreement and sparing the industry from a supply chain headache.
October 3, 2024 – In accordance with the strike notice filed by the Longshoremen’s Union CUPE, Local 375 last Friday, September 27th, we inform you that the partial strike affecting the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals was lifted this morning, Thursday, October 3rd at 7 a.m. Consequently, all terminals at the Port of Montreal are now open and fully operational, and it is possible to pick up or drop off goods. The three-day work stoppage has resulted in an accumulation of containers on the ground awaiting handling. Additionally, the vessels, whose arrivals were delayed, are scheduled for unloading and loading operations. As a result, clients importing or exporting goods may expect additional delays in the coming days. We will do our best to prioritize customers who have been inconvenienced.
October 1, 2024 – In line with the strike notice filed by the Longshoremen’s Union – CUPE Local 375, a partial strike affecting the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals began on Monday, September 30, at 7:00 am, and will continue until Thursday, October 3, at 6:59 am. As a result, those two Termont-operated terminals are currently closed. Access to the terminals is prohibited, and no rail, ship or truck services are provided. All other Port of Montreal terminals remain in service.
October 1, 2024 – With the pending strike in the US East Coast and Gulf Coast ports by the ILA, chaos looks to be on the horizon and shippers struggle to find alternatives. More news as this develops
September 30, 2024 – The Port of Montreal Termont Terminal is currently on strike. Although technically only affecting the Viau and Maisonneuve terminals, which are operated by Termont at the Port of Montréal, delays are expected.
In other news, the Port of Vancouver’s grain terminal operations has now returned to normal operations as an agreement was reached.