All posts in Canaan Transport Blog Post

January 15, 2025 – Workers represented by Unifor at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway have voted in favour of strike action if their union cannot reach a new deal with the company. The union says members voted 99 percent in support of the strike mandate.

Unifor Local 101R represents more than 1,200 members who work in mechanical shops, inspecting and maintaining locomotives and freight cars.

Negotiations between the union and the railway are set to resume in Calgary on January 24. The vote authorizes the union to initiate strike action if a deal is not reached by 12:01 am ET on January 29.

January 13, 2025 – On January 13, CIFFA wrote to the CBSA to formally request an extension of the 90-day grace period for late accounting penalties, as our members continue to face several unresolved issues arising from the transition to CARM. As you are aware, that transition has introduced various complexities that have made it difficult for the trade community to fully comply with the required timelines and procedures for submitting accurate accounting information. Despite best efforts to adapt, CIFFA members and others in the industry have encountered numerous challenges, which are outlined in the letter. As a result of these ongoing issues, our members have been unable to meet the required deadlines for accounting and customs-related submissions, despite their commitment to full compliance. We have made consistent efforts to resolve these challenges, but the transition process has proven to be more complicated and time-consuming than initially anticipated.

January 8, 2025 – A secret meeting between representatives of the International Longshoremen’s Association and the USMX port ownership group was held on Sunday to make headway on the issue of port automation that needs to be resolved by January 15 to avoid a new U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports strike. A document produced from the meeting indicates that ports are willing to pair any new technology with new union jobs, but that could introduce new risks to a deal, with added labour costs threatening terms agreed to in October for a 62% pay hike for union workers. Formal talks were set to resume on Tuesday, and it remains unclear if the full port ownership group will support the new language on automation.

December 18, 2024 – Canada plans to impose tariffs on a slew of Chinese products from as early as next year, the government’s fiscal update showed, as part of its wider investigation into imports from the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has already slapped a 100% tariff on all Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on imports of Chinese steel and aluminum products, with the finance ministry previously saying it was also exploring options to widen the duties. The fiscal update presented on Monday showed that Ottawa has decided to apply tariffs to imports of certain solar products and critical minerals from China early in the new year, with levies on semiconductors, permanent magnets and natural graphite following in 2026.

December 5, 2024 – After promising not to negotiate their new master contract in the media, the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance issued statements arguing their positions on semi-automation technology for U.S. ports along the East and Gulf Coast. The ILA said the talks are at “a crossroads with ocean carriers and employers,” reporting an impasse over the use of semi-automated rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs). After four scheduled days of negotiations, the ILA contends that USMX introduced new semi-automation mid-way through the talks, “causing the talks to break down.”

“USMX-ILA negotiations ended when management introduced their intent to implement semi-automation – a direct contradiction to their opening statement where they assured the ILA that neither full nor semi-automation would be on the table,” said ILA President Harold Daggett. He said the stalemate over automation and semi-automation threatens to cause another strike in less than six weeks. USMX responded saying it is not seeking to eliminate jobs but that U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports need to be made more efficient. They point out that most of the ports lack land to expand, saying that to meet demand and handle more volume the only way is “to densify terminals – enable the movement of more cargo through their existing footprint.”

November 26, 2024 – Mechanics and clerks at Canadian National Railway Co. have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate that could see workers walk off the job as early as New Year’s Day. Unifor says 97 percent and 96 percent of the two groups, respectively, cast their ballots in favour, paving the way for potential job action on January 1. One group comprises 2,100 mechanics, technicians, crane operators, machinists and electricians, and the other includes 1,500 administrators and customer support staff. They are calling for improved job security, compensation and working conditions at CN.Unifor says negotiations are resuming in Montreal on Monday and will continue through December 8.

November 18, 2024 – Operations resumed at the Port of Montreal as of seven o’clock on Saturday morning following the lockout of longshore workers. Management at the Port of Montreal says it will take several weeks to fully establish the import and export supply chain flow following the lockout that started last Sunday. Operations started to resume on Friday at Port of Vancouver terminals. Terminals and cargo sectors will resume operations in line with their individual operating plans. A full resumption of operations and fluidity at the Port of Vancouver is expected to take time. As terminal operations resume, ships are making their way to berth. Demand for all anchorage class assignments remains high and availability is limited.

November 15, 2024 – Both ports are now slowly resuming normal operations but delays are still expected for all traffic in and out of the terminals.

November 13, 2024 – The Port of Vancouver has confirmed that it plans to reopen its doors and operations this Friday, November 15. Clients are advised that it may take some time for the operations to return to normal.

November 13, 2024 – Following the decision by the Canadian Minister of Labour regarding the ongoing labour dispute at the Port of Montreal, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) is initiating its plan to resume operations across all terminals. Depending on the decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, cargo handling activities will gradually resume over the coming days in both Montreal and Contrecoeur, in collaboration with port and intermodal partners. It will take several weeks to clear terminal backlogs and restore fluidity in the supply chain. “The end of this labour dispute means that we can resume operations and aim to restart supply chains across all our activities as soon as possible. I thank those who are facilitating the resumption of operations for our partners and clients. Restoring services will allow us to resume international trade, benefiting thousands of businesses and consumers who rely on reliable and smooth port activities,” said Julie Gascon, President and CEO of the MPA.