OTTAWA -Canada's labor minister will meet with the country's two main railway companies and the Teamsters union in Montreal on Tuesday and Calgary on Wednesday to try to avert a crippling rail transport stoppage.) Kansas City will shut all freight rail services in Canada at the same time early on Thursday for the first time in history.
Federal mediators are working with the companies and the union, but those involved in the discussion say little progress has been made. The union says CN Rail and CPKC want to dilute safety provisions, a charge the companies deny. Labour talks started early this year, but progress has been slow, with both the union and the companies accusing each other of bad faith.
Canada is a major agricultural producer, and farmers will start bringing in their harvests in August and September. Refrigerated containers with meat and some highly perishable produce are of particular concern because delays would likely mean spoilage. Shippers of such items have already begun holding back containers, said Peter Friedmann, an executive director at the Agriculture Transportation Coalition.