July 27, 2020 – A top German industry official said the failure of talks between the European Union and the UK over a future relationship is “almost inevitable” and warned of “economic disaster.” There are too many outstanding issues for them to be resolved in time and companies on both sides of the English Channel should “prepare for bilateral trade without an agreement under WTO rules,” Joachim Lang, managing director of Germany’s BDI industry lobby, said in a statement Friday. “German industry does not expect the UK to complete the infrastructure for cross-border trade in time,” Lang added. “Companies face the threat of new tariffs, additional bureaucracy and an economic disaster.”
July 24, 2020 – The Maritime Employers Association has announced that the longshoremen’s union will apply pressure tactics via a 72-hour general strike that will take place at the Port of Montreal next week, from July 27 to July 31, ending at 6:59 on July 31. All terminals will be affected except for Oceanex services and the grain terminals. Negotiations will continue today and the MEA is hopeful there will be further confirmed bargaining dates next week.
July 20, 2020 – An update issued by the Maritime Employers Association on Friday regarding the Port of Montreal labour negotiatons said that there were 8 days of intensive negotiations since July 3rd. They will resume next Wednesday July 22th but little progress has been achieved on key elements. Their priority remains negotiations in order to reach a mutually profitable agreement but further strikes may be on the horizon.
July 13, 2020 – On July 15, new requirements relating to licensing, preventive controls and traceability under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) begin to apply to businesses in the manufactured food sector. As of this date, businesses are expected to meet requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and the Food and Drug Regulations, as well as other SFCR requirements that were applicable prior to July 15, 2020, including those related to food safety, exports, packaging and labelling. The CFIA encourages businesses in this sector to review and, where possible, take steps to meet new licensing, preventive control and traceability requirements of the SFCR. To support businesses in these efforts, the CFIA has made improvements to the Toolkit for food businesses and has launched a food business requirements virtual assistant to help them find key information and resources on the website. If you require more information, please let us know so that we can assist you.
July 5, 2020 – In light of the 40-hour strike initiated by CUPE 375, as a gesture of support to its partners in the supply chain, MGT extended terminal storage from Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5 to all import containers.
June 30, 2020 – We have received notification that the Maritime Employer’s Association has received a strike notice starting on Thursday July 2 at 3 p.m. and ending on Saturday July 4 at 6:59 a.m. This labour action will affect 2 of the 19 terminals at the Port of Montreal and all work will be stopped during these two days. This action by the Longshoremen’s Union will last 40 hours. Consequently, the Port of Montreal and its partners expect to be able to resume activities as soon as Saturday, July 4 at 7 a.m.
June 29, 2020 – CBSA has now issued a new memo about how furniture should be classified. We advise our customers to review this document https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d10/d10-15-30-eng.html
June 27, 2020 – India’s border stand-off with China may disrupt the supply chains of Canadian and US companies based in the south Asian nation. The decision by customs officials to abruptly halt clearances of industrial consignments coming in from China at major Indian ports and airports has raised concerns among many importers. Lack of information about what consignments may be held up threatens business continuity and disrupts manufacturing operations. India has stepped up import curbs after nearly two months of simmering border tensions with China in the high Himalayas escalated sharply on June 15. India’s federal government has asked companies to list purchases from China and flag those critical to operations so it can identify non-essential imports that can be substituted with local products, local media reported.
June 25, 2020 – On July 1, 2020, CUSMA will officially enter into force. The customs team at Canaan Transport is already well versed in the changes but we would like to provide an overview prepared by the CBSA to our importer customers so that they are aware of the key changes. Please see the following link https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/cusma-aceum/overview-survol-eng.html
June 22, 2020 – The CBSA advises of amendments to the January 15, 2020 version of the Departmental Consolidation of the Customs Tariff based on the Canada-United States-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (CUSMA) and the Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) which will take effect on July 1, 2020.