National

Rail strike would halt B.C.'s West Coast Express commuter train, says TransLink

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Aug, 2024 02:29 PM

The operator of British Columbia's commuter train that shuttles thousands of people across the Lower Mainland says it won't be able to run if a strike halts Canada's two biggest railways this week.

Metro Vancouver transport provider TransLink says the West Coast Express operates on rail owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. and can't run without that company's dispatchers and railworkers.

Negotiations between Canadian National Railway Co., Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. and the Canada Teamsters Rail Conference have struggled, and unless agreements are reached service at both companies is slated to stop at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Thursday.

The West Coast Express operates weekdays between downtown Vancouver and Mission, making stops in communities including Pitt Meadows and Port Coquitlam.

A statement from TransLink says if the West Coast Express is unable to operate, more buses will be added to help move commuters.

A strike would trigger the first-ever simultaneous work stoppage at the country's biggest rail companies, whose trains haul a combined $1 billion worth of goods per day.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'

Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia. Michell is the chief of Stellat'en First Nation some 160 kilometres west of Prince George, B.C., and a survivor of the Lejac Indian Residential School where a geophysical survey is underway to find children missing since the facility closed in 1976.

Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'

'The whole country is not on fire': Canadian tourism industry struggles as fires rage

Canada's tourism industry is trying to put on its Sunday best this week, showcasing itself to more than 500 international travel agents and tour operators at the largest annual tourism convention in Canada. But as Rendez-vous Canada is taking place at the Edmonton Convention Centre, one of the biggest challenges Canada's tourism industry is facing is playing out in technicolour just a few hundred kilometres away: wildfires.

'The whole country is not on fire': Canadian tourism industry struggles as fires rage

Spy agency CSIS reveals 24 harassment investigations in annual report

Canada's spy agency has released its annual public report, revealing that it dealt with 24 harassment investigations last year involving complaints by its staff. But the chief human resources officer for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says the number of investigations shouldn't be used to criticize the agency, and they instead show more employees are placing "faith and confidence in CSIS’ internal grievance process."

Spy agency CSIS reveals 24 harassment investigations in annual report

Three B.C. school districts to launch fully integrated, daylong child care, says Eby

Three school districts in British Columbia will start one-stop child-care programs at local elementary schools this fall. Premier David Eby says offering parents before-and-after-school child care at the same location will save families time and money, create less stress for parents and is an efficient use of school space and resources.

Three B.C. school districts to launch fully integrated, daylong child care, says Eby

Poilievre targets illicit drugs in B.C. hospitals

Federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre says the Conservatives will put forward legislation that would forbid Ottawa from "ever" granting provinces exemptions to allow illicit drug use in hospitals. Poilievre made the announcement in Vancouver on Tuesday, saying the Conservatives will introduce a private member's bill in Parliament to end the federal health minister's power to grant exemptions that would allow the use of illicit drugs in a hospital setting.

Poilievre targets illicit drugs in B.C. hospitals

OPINION: Time For A Diverse Lieutenant-Governor For BC As The Term Comes To An End For Janet Austin

In this Op-Ed Senior Reporter with DESIBUZZCanada, PD Raj explores the dialogue of representation and inclusivity within the political arena as current Lieutenant-Governor Janet Austin's term comes to an end.