Canadian rail companies, union, at an impasse as job action looms

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But enough about that. Let’s get on to the news, volunteer opportunities, and arts that’ll inform your week. 

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WEATHER

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LABOUR

Canadian rail companies, union, at an impasse as job action looms

What happened: A nation-wide railway shutdown could be in the cards as soon as Thursday, after talks between unionized employees and Canada’s major railway employers, CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), broke down. 

• A work stoppage would put 9,300 unionized rail workers off the job, according to City News.

On Sunday, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, said they were served with a 72-hour lock out notice from CN Rail. The union issued a similar strike notice to CPKC the same day. It means Canada’s railways would effectively be shut down first thing Thursday morning if a tentative deal isn’t reached today. 

What it means: Should the work stoppage proceed there could be a range of impacts in Vancouver and the region. 

• The West Coast Express — which connects downtown Vancouver to the Tri-Cities, Pitt Meadows, and goes all the way out to Mission — would not be able to run “because it operates on rail owned by CPKC and cannot operate without CPKC’s dispatchers and rail workers,” according to Translink.

Metro Vancouver officials are working to ensure they have sufficient chlorine — which is used to clean our drinking water and reaches the region’s water treatment plants via train — to withstand a railway work stoppage. Metro Vancouver officials said their supplier is “confident” they can source chlorine for the region’s water facilities, and plans to transport chlorine by truck if necessary. The regional body doesn’t “foresee any disruptions” to their water operations due to the job action, according to CTV. 

• Business advocates are concerned about the economic implications of a rail shutdown. The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade said a stoppage would be “devastating” for B.C. businesses, especially small businesses, while also affecting consumers, increasing road congestion, and potentially doing damage to the region’s reputation as a reliable trading partner. 

The Port of Vancouver is signalling there would be significant impacts to their operations, with rail accounting for two-thirds of all cargo volumes moved through the port, including 90% of international exports, according to Global. 

The details: Engineers, conductors, and yard workers are among the 9,300 employees that would be impacted by the job action. 

“CPKC has served notice they will be locking out our members as well as changing the terms of the collective agreements, stripping workers of those protections. This forces the union to serve strike notice to protect their members… Unilaterally changing or cancelling the terms of an expired collective agreement is a lesser-known tactic that can force workers to strike while allowing a company to avoid blame for the resulting disruptions,” Teamsters union representatives said.  

• In making their case, the union went on to claim that CPKC is “pressuring the union for concessions that would make it even harder for workers to predict when they might be called for work, creating a fatigue-related safety risk. The company is attempting to undermine Canada Labour Code provisions, as well as change work rules related to being held away from their home.”

However: CPKC denies the union’s claims, saying the suggestion they “unilaterally changed or cancelled the terms of the collective agreement [is] patently false.” 

• When talks broke down on August 9, CPKC says they came back to the union with a three-year “status quo” contract renewal, which does not include work rule changes. “Nothing CPKC has put forward would compromise safety in any way,” the company said in a statement. 

CN and CPKC have already stopped shipments of certain hazardous goods “to ensure no such shipments wind up stranded on the tracks in the event of job action,” according to CBC. 

What we heard: The situation is a unique one in that these rail companies don’t usually do their collective bargaining negotiations at the same time, UBC labour relations professor Dr. Mark Thompson told Vancity Lookout. Having both railroads in a strike position puts extra stress on the system, he added.

“The public interest here is in the economic side. It's not as though people are denied health care or air ambulance service or something like that,” Thompson said, noting the Canada Industrial Relations Board already ruled the strike could proceed, “because the restrictions on strikes kick in when the strike is deemed to be a risk to the health or safety of Canadians, and that's not the case in the railroads,” Thompson explained.

While local business advocates have called for the federal government to intervene and stop the strike — which could include the use of binding arbitration — Thompson said he thinks the current government would be “very reluctant to intervene in a heavy handed way.”  

• However, he also doesn’t think the government will allow both railroads to go down at the same time and is likely urging the parties to reach a settlement behind the scenes. 

As for the claim a strike could hurt the reputation of the port or the region, Thompson — who taught at UBC for 30 years — said that argument is older than he is. 

• “They say the reputation is going to be hurt, as though other railroads don't have labor disputes. This is not a unique problem to these two railroad lines… I don’t pay attention to that [claim] and I don’t think you should either,” Thompson said. 

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the number of years Mark Thompson taught at UBC. Vancity Lookout regrets the error, which has now been corrected.

SPONSORED BY VIFF CENTRE

Total Cinema Series Continues at VIFF Centre

The VIFF Centre has now reopened after some exciting upgrades to their main theatre.

Designed to showcase their new immersive sound system, laser projection and brand new screen, VIFF's Total Cinema series celebrates the elevated experience that comes with watching the best films on the big screen. Including:

• Meta-heist movie Inception

• Children of Men, a "rare picture that astounds with technical marvels" (Vanity Fair)

• Paul Thomas Anderson's lacerating epic There Will Be Blood

• Ridley Scott's seminal sci-fi classic Blade Runner: The Final Cut and Denis Villeneuve's spectacular sequel Blade Runner 2049

• Tron: Legacy, with a special panel discussion featuring its sound crew

• A new series of Film Studies classes: Creating Colour

See What's On

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🐳 $30,000: The fine handed to a film company based in Vancouver for operating a drone too close to a pod of orcas. It’s the first fine of its kind according to DFO. [CBC]

📉 -15%: The percentage drop in the number of new housing starts in Metro Vancouver in July 2024 compared to July 2023. [Vancouver Sun]

🛢️ $1.5 billion: The estimated per year cost to Vancouver region residents caused by delays in completing the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion, according to a study released last week. [C.D. Howe Institute]

🏢 1,500: The number of new beds the provincial government has promised to build at UBC. It’s the largest ever student investment. [CBC]

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Vancouver Fringe Festival: The annual fall theatre extravaganza is looking for volunteers in a variety of roles, including registration, ushers, production crew, and bartending. More info.

Green Streets: Volunteer with the city to enhance public space, provide habitat for wildlife, and help manage rainwater on our streets. Email [email protected] or find more information here. 

Volunteer Cancer Driver Society: Providing complimentary transportation for cancer patients in the Lower Mainland, this group is seeking qualified volunteers to fill out their roster of drivers. Learn more.

Vancouver Animal Services: The organization is always looking for dog walkers who can spend quality time with their adoptable canines. If you can handle a large, somewhat unruly dog on leash, they’d love to hear from you! Apply now. 

VCH Home Health Outreach: One-to-one visitor volunteers provide in-home social and emotional support to older adult clients who are socially isolated and have limited social support. Learn more. 

THE AGENDA

🦠 Experts are advising caution, not panic, over the World Health Organization’s classification of the mpox virus as a “public health emergency of international concern,” due to the virus’ spread in several African countries. Mpox, or monkeypox as it was formerly known, already has a safe and effective vaccine. [The Tyee] 

👮 Homicide investigators have been called into an investigation in North Vancouver after a woman and a child died in a fall from a Lower Lonsdale apartment balcony. Investigators said the two victims were believed to be known to each other and they are not looking for other suspects at this time. [North Shore News] 

🛑 Starting Thursday, you’ll want to avoid the area around Oak St. and 70th Ave. if at all possible, as sewer upgrade work will cause significant traffic impacts in the area, according to the city. The work is expected to be finished by the evening of Tuesday, August 27. [COV]

💸 The province is blaming higher interest rates, rising inflation costs, and labour market challenges for the recent news that the Surrey-Langley skytrain extension will be delayed until 2029 and cost $6 billion. The delayed project — originally scheduled for completion in 2028 at a cost of $4 billion — is yet another complex, big-ticket capital project that has seen costs skyrocket. It’s a situation experts say is happening all over Canada. [CBC]

📈 In a good piece of transit news (which has been sorely lacking lately), Translink said they’ll be increasing service on 47 bus routes beginning September 2. The transit operator added that while this will help maintain service – adjusting to things like schools being back in session – it won’t eliminate problems caused by overcrowding. [CBC]

🚠 A series of rescue calls on Grouse Mountain this weekend were precipitated by a malfunction with the mountain’s gondola. Some visitors chose to climb a steep trail down rather than wait at the top, resulting in two different people needing to be rescued. The gondola was out of service for about 20 minutes, according to Grouse Mountain Resort. [City News]

🚧 The neighbourhood around the Oakridge redevelopment has been a “nightmare” to navigate for seniors living nearby. The Oakridge Seniors’ Centre – formerly located within the mall itself, now temporarily set up in a church at the corner of 41st and Ash – has reportedly lost 200 of their 300 members since construction began four years ago. [Vancouver Sun]

🧑‍🦽 BC Place has apologized for what they called “mismanagement” and “unclear communication” that led to several groups, which included people in wheelchairs, being denied entry to a supposedly accessible lounge area of the stadium at a BC Lions game this weekend. [City News]  

🐟 Last month’s landslide in the Chilcotin River has slowed the number of salmon headed upstream to spawn, according to a new report. The landslide physically obstructed some sockeye salmon from passing through the area, while downstream debris from the slide could also hinder the salmons’ journey, researchers said. Federal officials were already expecting low returns for this sockeye run. [CBC]

DREAM HOME

It’s nothing incredible, but this new-build two bedroom apartment (with a balcony) is in a nice location in East Van. It’s right across the street from an elementary school and playground, and just west of Rupert Park. Plus, there’s easy access to the North Shore, Burnaby and beyond with Highway 1 nearby (but not too close). 

It’s all relative, but, for Vancouver these days, the price isn’t terrible…

Home of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labeled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

ARTS

Theatre

The final week of Theatre Under The Stars is underway in Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl, with a couple of performances of “Cats” and “School of Rock” left on tap. Tickets $30

It’s getting closer to the ever-popular Vancouver Fringe Festival. Fringe is on from Sept. 5-15 this year with unforgettable shows and festivities taking over Granville Island. More details.

Music

The PNE has announced their show lineup and it promises to be a memorable one. Ludacris, Flo Rida, and Barenaked Ladies are just a few of the big-name performers.  

Movies 

Catch “The Death Tour,” “MaXXXine,” and “Lost in the Shuffle” this week at the Rio Theatre.

Catch “Blade Runner 2049” and “Sugarcane” this week at VIFF Centre. 

Art

It’s the final two+ weeks of “The Sum of All,” an exhibit exploring concepts of Indigeneity and Blackness through visual and performance-based arts, showing at the Bill Reid Gallery. Tickets $13 

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Over 60 years, a woman collected over a thousand versions of a particular kitchen item. Now her granddaughter is working to photograph each one, with enjoyable results. [CBC]

• If you’re looking for a unique dessert, this place in Richmond is worth visiting. [Vancity Lookout]

• Ever notice a street tree around town that looks in need of some TLC? A new park board program is encouraging you to take action! [City News]

• A government-university partnership is seeking to increase food sovereignty and security for First Nations people on the coast with one simple measure. [Ha-Shilth-Sa]

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Lynn River on a gorgeous Saturday morning in August (before the crowds and clouds rolled in).

GAME TIME

Today’s Vancouver Guesser should be pretty straightforward, as most locals have spent some amount of time in this area. Hint: look to the horizon if you’re struggling to figure out where this is. Reply to this newsletter with the correct answer to be featured in Friday’s newsletter!