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The president of Quorum Corporation is concerned about a bottleneck of grain-shipping vessels on the West Coast.
News

Grain is moving, but problems persist

Systemic issues surrounding grain shipments have yet to be addressed

By
Grain shipments are moving better than they were this time last year, but that’s not saying much. “Last year was awful,” Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) executive director Wade Sobkowich said. “We had some major deficiencies in rail service between January and March of 2022.” Indeed, things were so bad in the winter of 2022
“It seems to be a series of wish lists by lobby groups in the guise of a national plan.” – Barry Prentice.
News

Supply chain report draws praise and criticism

Pandemic revealed supply chain fragility, but remedies won’t be easy

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A report released by the federal task force charged with fixing the recent supply chain crisis is getting mixed reviews from industry experts. The final report of the National Supply Chain Task Force (see full report at bottom) draws upon recommendations and consultations with industry stakeholders in a strategy to avert a crisis like the
CN’s grain plan has come under criticism because observers say it seems to justify future failure.
News

CN, CP release their annual grain plans

Rail providers on a hiring spree as grain shipments expected to return to historical norms

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[UPDATED: Aug. 16, 2022] The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says the latest CN and CP grain plans are long on excuses and short on solutions. According to Wade Sobkowich, WGEA executive director, the railways are not held accountable for meeting their own targets, and that is a problem. “I would go so far as
(CPR.ca)
News

Rail lockout compounds grain transport woes

A labour dispute was the last thing an already-stressed grain handling system needed

By
CP’s latest labour dispute is over — but the metaphorical wreckage is going to linger on the tracks for a while. Canadian Pacific Railway and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference agreed March 22 to settle a labour dispute that began March 20, when the railway locked its workers out over a dispute on pensions, pay
Railway tracks
Editorial, Op/Ed

Editor’s Take: Rubber, meet road

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In recent years the country’s two major railways have all but dislocated their metaphorical shoulders patting themselves on the back. They’re rightly very proud of record grain movement year after year, and have pointed to major investments in infrastructure, equipment and personnel as key to that success. And to be clear, both CN and CP
“The railways always move it. The issue is, when do they move it?” – Wade Sobkowich, WGEA
News, Other

Grain shipping capacity eyed nervously

Can shippers capture premium prices this winter, or will railways cut too deep?

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It’s official. Western Canada’s grain-handling and transportation system moved a record amount of grain during the 2020-21 crop year that ended July 31. When the dust had settled, Western Canada’s grain-handling and transportation system had moved a record 61.5 million tonnes. That’s up 5.1 per cent from last crop year’s record of 58.6 million, Mark
Photo: File
News

What gives? Grain shipping records… and service complaints

“There have been some challenges — a couple of bottlenecks in some places and some issues at the port once in a while, but overall I think we’ve had a good run of it.” – Sean Finn, CN

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Canada’s railways continue to move record grain volumes but that doesn’t mean rail service woes have disappeared, the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) warns. February marked the 12th month in a row that CN Rail moved a record amount of grain. It shipped 2.28 million tonnes, up seven per cent from the previous record of
Big grain companies want big changes at Canada’s biggest port
News

Big grain companies want big changes at Canada’s biggest port

The Western Grain Elevator Association wants more say and more transparency in how the Port of Vancouver operates

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Canada’s biggest grain companies want sweeping changes to how the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s biggest port, including for grain, operates. “We are trying to promote a solution that allows Canada to reach its targeted goal of $85 billion in (food and agricultural) exports by 2025,” Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association
“The grain companies have never wanted the CGC. They would much prefer a situation wherein they can make all the rules themselves... “ Stewart Wells, NFU.
News

Grain act, grain commission review revived

The ongoing examination is sure to reveal fractures and differing interests

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Two pillars of Canada’s $26-billion grain industry are again under review — a process reviving long-standing divisions between some farmers and grain companies over grain industry regulations. The Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission which administers it, deal with grain buyer licensing, grade standards, grading disputes, quality control and producer payment protection. Some submissions
Railways were able to overcome a bad start to the shipping year after capacity opened up due to the COVID slowdown.
News

COVID surprise comes to grain movement in 2020

How the pandemic helped Canada set a grain shipping record and what’s to come

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When it comes to the grain transportation file in 2020, it was a story of extremes. Record western Canadian grain shipments in the 2019-20 crop year ending July 31, belies poor rail performance, much of it beyond their control, during the first six months of that period. “When we were in week 28 (Feb. 9-15,

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