'The last thing we need': Alberta farmers frustrated over grain workers' strike in Vancouver

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A strike by grain workers at Metro Vancouver terminals is being called “devastating” for Alberta farmers, amid what’s already been a stressful year.

Picket lines went up Tuesday at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver. More than 600 workers represented by Grain Workers Union Local 333 are off the job.

“It is devastating for the farmers, because we’re already in the middle of harvest,” said Tara Sawyer, whose family farms near the village of Acme, about 60 kilometres northeast of Calgary.

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It’s been another challenging year for the 1,700-hectare Sawyer family farm, which is also dealing with an ongoing drought. The farm’s wheat, canola and malt barley crops “were all less than half of what they would normally be,” said Sawyer.

“Having this to worry about is the last thing we need in what has already been an incredibly challenging year,” she said.

Sawyer, who chairs Alberta Grains, was asked during a January trade mission to Asia if there were going to be any “problems with shipments,” and worries about the strike’s effect on Canada’s international reputation. That concern echoes one that Alberta farmers had over last month’s railway work stoppage, which lasted less than a day before the federal government stepped in to force the parties into binding arbitration.

“When they see that delay, they’re going to go elsewhere, and that’s a loss of money to the farmers and the country,” said Sawyer, who believes the timing of the strike — during the busy harvest season — is no accident.

In a letter, Alberta Grains and other Team Alberta Crops organizations have asked Alberta Agriculture Minister R.J. Sigurdson to put pressure on federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to end the dispute. The letter is signed by the chairs of Alberta Grains, Alberta Beekeepers, Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Pulse Growers, Alberta & BC Seed Growers, Alberta Sugar Beet Growers and Potato Growers of Alberta.

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Canada risks developing a reputation as an unreliable supplier in the global market, Team Alberta Crops says.

“A reliable supply chain is critical, and it is essential that the federal government finds a sustainable solution to maintain the country’s credibility in global trade,” reads the letter.

The grain workers’ strike comes as Canada faces a limited window to ship canola before China’s “impending response” to Canadian tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum. The federal government announced last month a 100 per cent levy on electric cars and 25 per cent levy on steel and aluminum. In response, China has launched anti-dumping investigations into Canadian canola.

“Any disruption at the port will further jeopardize Alberta’s ability to meet export demands, especially following the rail service disruptions earlier this summer,” Team Alberta Crops said in its letter.

The Alberta government encourages both parties to work toward an agreement “to avoid any further disruptions to grain movement at this critical time of the year,” Sigurdson said in a Tuesday statement.

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“We are calling on the federal government to respond more effectively to labour disputes that create widespread damage to critical supply chains, as well as our country’s economy and reputation as a reliable trading partner,” said Sigurdson.

The affected operations include Viterra’s Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, Richardson International Terminal, Cargill Limited Terminal, G3 Terminal Vancouver and Alliance Grain Terminal, all located in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

With more than half of all Canadian-grown grain going to those terminals last year, the Grain Growers of Canada said before the strike that it was “deeply concerned” about a potential work stoppage.

Grain farmers say a strike would halt nearly 100,000 metric tonnes of commodities each day, potentially costing $35 million daily in lost exports.

“Grain farmers in the prairies rely heavily on the Port of Vancouver to handle and export the majority of the grain they grow,” the statement from the Grain Growers of Canada says. “Following last month’s rail work stoppages, this strike will have an equally devastating impact on grain farmers across the prairies who are in the midst of harvest.”

MacKinnon said he spoke with both the employer and representatives of Grain Workers Union Local 333 on Monday, and they have agreed to resume contract negotiations alongside federal mediators.

MacKinnon posted the message on the social media platform X, saying Canadian farmers had a “bumper crop” and need to get it to market.

— With files from The Canadian Press

stipper@postmedia.com

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