Reuters — The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons rejected on Thursday a bill amendment that would allow the government to force railway companies to compensate shippers for expenses incurred because of railways’ failure to deliver service. The amendment was part of Bill C-30, a broader Conservative legislative package by which the government would set […] Read more
Commons’ speaker rejects grain bill amendment on railway payment
Boosting West Coast exports seen key for moving bigger crops
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada needs to invest in shipping more grains and oilseeds off the West Coast as harvests get larger, to avoid the massive transportation backlogs that followed last year’s record crops, industry officials said on Wednesday. Last year, 19.3 million tonnes of grain moved in bulk and containers combined through Port Metro […] Read more
Cargill expects flour merger with ConAgra finalized in six to eight weeks
Winnipeg | Reuters — U.S. agribusiness Cargill expects the merger of its flour mill operations with those of ConAgra Foods to be finalized in six to eight weeks after it clears a longstanding regulatory hurdle, Cargill executive chairman Greg Page said Tuesday. The combined entity, to be called Ardent Mills, would join ConAgra’s milling operations […] Read more
Bill to force railways to pay for poor service bound for Commons
Reuters — Federal legislators on Monday amended a bill designed to ensure grain moves smoothly by rail by allowing the government to order railways to compensate shippers for poor service. The Canadian Transportation Agency currently has authority only to arbitrate matters on which the parties mutually agree. Railways can avoid paying compensation simply by refusing […] Read more
Prairie farmers load U.S.-bound grain trucks to beat backlog
Winnipeg | Reuters — Truckloads of Canadian canola and wheat are flowing briskly into U.S. crushing plants and elevators, as Canada’s farmers seek to get round an unprecedented backlog of crops destined for ports. A record-smashing Canadian harvest and brutal winter have overwhelmed Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways (CN, CP), the key links in […] Read more
Mosaic lays off 51 Sask. staff on industry woes
Winnipeg | Reuters — U.S.-based fertilizer company Mosaic Co. said Tuesday it has laid off 51 workers at its Canadian potash operations, as the industry struggles to recover from low prices and weak demand. Spokesman Rob Litt said the layoffs are spread out among Mosaic’s operations in Saskatchewan, which include three potash mines and an […] Read more
China to resume Canadian canola meal imports, first in a year
Winnipeg | Reuters — China has agreed to resume imports of Canadian canola meal from Richardson International, the first from Canada in about a year, a Richardson official said Friday. The Chinese government agreed several weeks ago to resume imports of canola meal and canola meal pellets from privately-held Richardson, said Adrian Man, assistant vice-president […] Read more
Eastern ice latest obstacle to clearing Prairie grain backlog
Winnipeg | Reuters — Thick ice on Eastern Canada’s waterways will hamper efforts to clear a massive crop backlog, with the Port of Thunder Bay likely to open at least a week later than usual this spring, its chief executive said Thursday. Ice in the port’s harbour on Lake Superior is about four feet thick, […] Read more
Railways report progress on easing grain logjam
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian grain shipments by rail have picked up since earlier this month when Ottawa ordered Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CN, CP) to improve service, CN and a grain-handling group said Tuesday. Transportation bottlenecks have left crops landlocked after a record-smashing harvest and frigid winter in Canada, the world’s […] Read more
Railways step up service as Ottawa eyes tackling grain backlog
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s two big railways are stepping up service to reduce a backlog of grain shipments that have delayed exports and pushed oat prices to record highs, but the Canadian government said it may still step in with new regulations. Record crops of wheat and canola, along with frigid weather, overwhelmed Canadian […] Read more
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