Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Union and employers receive mediator's terms to end B.C. port strike, source says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Jul, 2023 01:51 PM
  • Union and employers receive mediator's terms to end B.C. port strike, source says

A source close to negotiations over the British Columbia port strike said both sides on Wednesday received the terms of a settlement recommended by a federal mediator that could end the 12-day-old industrial action.

The delivery of the terms comes after federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan late Tuesday instructed the mediator to send him the terms within 24 hours so he could forward them to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association.

The two sides have 24 hours upon receiving the recommendations to decide whether or not to ratify the agreement.

Neither side confirmed they have received the terms.

British Columbia business groups said there's no guarantee the strike will end quickly despite O'Regan's move.

The groups, including the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, the B.C. Council of Forest Industries and the Mining Association of B.C., said at an event in Vancouver on Wednesday that they are continuing to call for federal back-to-work legislation to end the strike involving 7,400 dock workers at more than 30 ports, including Canada's busiest, the Port of Vancouver.

Board of Trade president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson said an estimated $8.9 billion in trade has been disrupted since the strike began, and 63,000 shipping containers are "waiting on the water to be unloaded" at B.C. ports.

That number could balloon to 245,000 by the end of July if the strike isn't resolved by then, Anderson said.

O'Regan said Tuesday the gap between the workers' and employers' positions was "not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage."

B.C. Premier David Eby said at the close of a premiers' meeting in Winnipeg on Wednesday that the strike cannot drag on.

"This isn't just the Port of Vancouver, it's the port of Saskatchewan, it's the port of Alberta and it's the port of Manitoba," Eby said. "So it's critically important infrastructure for Canadians, for people who go to work in industries where those goods are exported globally."

"It has a profoundly damaging impact across the country on workers who are also trying to feed their families right now."

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his province's potash customers could soon take their business to Russia and Belarus if the dispute continues.

"Today, it might be easier for you to get a ton of Russian potash fertilizer than it is to get a ton of Saskatchewan potash fertilizer," Moe said. "So the impacts are much broader than what's happening just at the port there."

On Tuesday, Nutrien Ltd. said it had curtailed production at its Cory potash mine in Saskatchewan due to the strike.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said if businesses can't get their goods to markets because of the strike, Canada could start to lose international customers.

The mediator's recommended terms are non-binding, and either side can vote to reject them.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. agrees to delay ending immigration detention in correctional centres

B.C. agrees to delay ending immigration detention in correctional centres
Farnworth has now approved a "one-time" three-month extension of the deal until the end of October at the request of federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, on the condition that no new detainees will be accepted after July 31. 

B.C. agrees to delay ending immigration detention in correctional centres

Armed robbery in New Westminster

Armed robbery in New Westminster
Police flooded the area and soon located someone matching the suspect description at 6th Avenue and 8th Street. The suspect fled from police and after a foot pursuit, he was arrested. An officer was transported to local hospital after sustaining an injury during the foot pursuit.

Armed robbery in New Westminster

Canada bans testing of cosmetics on animals, in line with dozens of other countries

Canada bans testing of cosmetics on animals, in line with dozens of other countries
In addition to barring companies from testing their cosmetic products on animals in Canada, the regulations prevent new products that rely on animal testing data to establish product safety from being sold in this country.

Canada bans testing of cosmetics on animals, in line with dozens of other countries

Charges laid against 3 in robbery

Charges laid against 3 in robbery
On December 23rd of last year,  Surrey RCMP received a report of a personal robbery on a post-secondary school campus located in the 13400-block of 102 Avenue. Prior to police arrival it was reported that three suspects had fled with the victim’s phone and backpack.

Charges laid against 3 in robbery

Rodriguez says newsrooms will be supported should Meta, Google block news

Rodriguez says newsrooms will be supported should Meta, Google block news
The Liberal government's Online News Act became law last week, requiring tech companies such as Google and Meta to negotiate deals compensating media outlets for news content they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms.

Rodriguez says newsrooms will be supported should Meta, Google block news

Expanded restrictions in Vancouver to stop spread of damaging Japanese beetle

Expanded restrictions in Vancouver to stop spread of damaging Japanese beetle
The invasive pest was first detected in Vancouver's False Creek area in 2017. The iridescent copper and green coloured beetle can significantly damage landscape and ornamental plants, fruit and vegetable gardens, nurseries, orchards and crops.

Expanded restrictions in Vancouver to stop spread of damaging Japanese beetle