CN has signed and closed an agreement to acquire Iowa Northern Railway, as of December 6. Iowa Northern operates approximately 275 track miles in Iowa connecting to CN’s U.S. rail network, serving the upper Midwest agricultural and industrial markets, including biofuels and grain. “This transaction represents a meaningful opportunity to support the growth of local… Read More

The labour impasse between the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) and the Unifor union appears to have ended after a weekend of negotiations between the two sides. Approximately 360 members of five local chapters of the Unifor union in Ontario and Quebec were on the picket line starting October 22, 2023, after failed negotiations…. Read More

Unlike some other North American ports, the St. Lawrence Seaway shipping corridor is seasonal, and the labour dispute holding up product movement is putting serious stress on Ontario’s agriculture sector during the harvest period. An estimated $20 million per day of grain isn’t moving through the St. Lawrence Seaway after members of UNIFOR went on… Read More

Transport Canada is launching consultations regarding some of its rail policies, including the maximum revenue entitlement for grain shipments, extended interswitching, shortlines, and other regulations that fundamentally affect grain transportation. Separate in-person consultations with shippers and railways are scheduled to be held at Ottawa, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg starting this coming week and wrapping up by… Read More

It’s time for this week’s episode of RealAg Politics! On this show, host Shaun Haney is joined by: Steve Pratte, senior manager, transportation and biofuel policy with the Canadian Canola Growers Association, on Transport Canada’s upcoming railway policy review; Erin Gowriluk, president of Canada Grains Council, on the importance of science-based policy; and, Alanna Koch,… Read More

Rail conductors, port workers, government staff, and even grocery store employees either are in the midst of a strike or have been on strike, sometimes more than once, in the last few years. Work stoppages are on the rise in several industries, but there’s more friction than just between employee and employer: disagreements and rifts… Read More

Both of Canada’s major railways — Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) — have published their annual grain transportation plans, coinciding with the start of 2023-24 crop year on August 1. Federal legislation that was implemented after the grain backlog that occurred ten years ago this fall requires the railways to submit… Read More