An aerial view shows a damaged road as a flood sweeps through, near Lytton, B.C. on Nov. 15, 2021. (Handout photo from B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure via Reuters)

B.C. rains shut CN, CP mainlines and Highways 1, 7

Repairs already underway, CN says

The effects of rainstorms pelting southern British Columbia’s Interior have reached into the Prairies by effectively cutting off grain traffic to Vancouver. Canadian National Railway said Tuesday that heavy rainfalls in the region have led to mudslides and washouts on its network. Crews are inspecting affected areas and “carrying out repairs which are critical to […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Cargill close to resolving slow grain payments to farmers

Producers delivering now can expect their money right away, but the firm is still working on some payments for previously delivered grain

Cargill is closer to fixing problems with paying farmers promptly for their delivered grain. “They [Cargill] have worked through most of the issues,” Canadian Grain Commission spokesman Remi Gosselin said in an interview Tuesday. “Our understanding at the grain commission is that there should be no issues on a go-forward basis for future deliveries and […] Read more

Photo: Ansgar Walk/Creative Commons

Port of Churchill out of commission for two years

The sight of grain vessels being loaded at the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba won’t happen for two years, according to Sheldon Affleck, chief executive officer of the Arctic Gateway Group (AGG). The group consists of 29 Indigenous and a dozen non-Indigenous communities that own and operate the rail line from The Pas to […] Read more


File photo of wheat being loaded onto a bulk vessel at port in Russia. (YGrek/iStock/Getty Images)

‘Containergeddon’ drives sugar, rice shippers back to bulk vessels

New York | Reuters — Food traders are switching from containers back to dry bulk vessels to transport refined sugar and rice, hoping to avoid shipping delays caused by container shortages and port congestion the industry is calling “containergeddon,” according to traders. Container-based transportation has been hit by sky-high costs and delays amid booming shipping […] Read more

Keep grain in good condition to prevent entrapment

Keep grain in good condition to prevent entrapment

Take these safety measures if you must enter your grain bin

A sobering statistic from the Canadian Agricultural Injury data indicates there is an average of four fatalities due to grain entrapment every year in Canada. Grain entrapment incidents happen in grain bins, trucks, wagons, railcars and grain piles. Unfortunately, engulfment happens very quickly, and most victims do not survive. The best way to prevent grain […] Read more


File photo of a CN locomotive in Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

CN CEO to retire as investor pressure weighs

Shareholder TCI has replacement in mind

Reuters — Canadian National Railway (CN) said on Tuesday its CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest will retire at the end of January, following investor demands for his exit after the railroad operator’s failed bid for Kansas City Southern. TCI Fund Management, which owns five per cent of Canadian National, in August pitched former Jim Vena — a […] Read more

An eastward-facing view from the north edge of the crossing at Mile 98.14 of CN’s Ashcroft subdivision, where BCWS suspected the Lytton fire began. (TSB photo)

No evidence trains sparked Lytton fire, TSB says

Transportation Safety Board now stepping out of ongoing fire probe

There’s no proof the fire that largely destroyed a British Columbia village, damaged a key rail bridge and led to cuts in rail speed limits in high-risk areas was sparked by train traffic, the federal Transportation Safety Board says. The TSB on Thursday said its investigation, launched in early July, “has not revealed any evidence […] Read more


(GFM file photo)

Cargill, ADM sell GrainBridge to ag software firm Bushel

'Network effect' expected in grains sector

An online service farmers use to manage grain sales with ADM’s elevators and processing plants across Canada — along with Cargill and ADM elevators in the U.S. — is under new ownership. ADM and Cargill, the two major U.S.-based agribusinesses that set up GrainBridge in 2019, announced Tuesday they’ve sold it to Bushel, a Fargo, […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles)

‘Containergeddon’: Supply crisis drives Walmart, rivals to hire own ships

Bulk grain ships pressed into container service

Los Angeles | Reuters — The Flying Buttress once glided across the oceans carrying vital commodities such as grain to all corners of the world. Now it bears a different treasure: Paw Patrol Movie Towers, Batmobile Transformers and Baby Alive Lulu Achoo dolls. The dry bulk cargo ship has been drafted into the service of […] Read more