Grain workers’ strike poses ‘major disruption’ to producers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/09/2024 (452 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canola growers are wrestling with significant logistic and market-access challenges as the grain workers’ strike at the Port of Vancouver continues, producer advocacy groups say.

Workers at several Metro Vancouver grain terminals walked off the job Tuesday after members of the Grain Workers Union Local 333 couldn’t agree on a new contract with their employer, the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association.

Manitoba Canola Growers Association executive director Delaney Burtnack told the Sun the strike comes at a critical time — fall harvest — and will further disrupt exports.

“The sector is just recovering from the brief but impactful rail work stoppage last month and are just underway beginning to build a legal defence in support of Canadian canola farmers in the anti-dumping case from China announced just two weeks later,” she said.

“Another strike affecting the Port of Vancouver is another major disruption and risk that all Canadian farmers face in their ability to sell their grain and pay the bills.”

With 70 per cent of Canada’s bulk grain exports flowing through Vancouver, representing 27 million tonnes of grain in the 2023-24 crop year, “the strike’s impact is widespread.”

The Westman region, a hub for canola production, is particularly affected. Farmers in the area are experiencing heightened stress as the strike interrupts the flow of their product to key markets, Burtnack said.

Keystone Agricultural Producers president Jill Verwey said the timing of the strike could not be worse for producers.

“Producers already face a massive amount of pressure during the annual harvest season to get the crop in the bin,” she said. “This disruption at such a critical time of year will only add further stress to producers as they work long hours to get harvest complete, not knowing if there will be a transportation system to get that product to market.”

In response to the crisis, Burtnack said, MCGA has been actively advocating for solutions through its partnerships with provincial and federal authorities to ensure its members’ canola seed has stable end markets.

“This includes our support of the canola sector’s success in building a more diversified domestic market through an expanded biofuel market in the U.S., and the recent establishment of a new Indo-Pacific Agricultural and Agri-Food Office to support trade in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Other programs like the Advance Payments Program through the Canadian Canola Growers Association have provided some relief, offering farmers short-term working capital while they navigate these challenges, she added.

The strike has also drawn political attention at the provincial level.

PC agriculture critic Jeff Bereza, MLA for Portage la Prairie, has called on the Manitoba government to introduce legislation declaring the handling and transportation of agricultural products an essential service.

Bereza said provincial legislation is needed to protect Manitoba’s agricultural sector from future labour stoppages, particularly given the federal government’s amendments to the Canada Labour Code that protect bulk grain handling from similar disruptions.

“The labour disruptions in British Columbia are nothing new. It has happened many times over the last several decades,” Bereza said. “A strong and vibrant agricultural industry is too critical to the success of our province and the Canadian economy for the NDP government to remain silent on this issue.”

More than 600 grain services workers walked off the job Tuesday morning at the Port of Vancouver over contract issues with the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association.

VETA represents six grain export terminals — Viterra’s Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, Richardson International Terminal, Cargill Limited Terminal, the G3 Vancouver Terminal and Alliance Grain Terminal.

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

» X: @AbiolaOdutola