The leading retailer of food and supplies to rural communities in Canada is calling on the federal and provincial government to take action on the Churchill rail disruption.
The North West Company said the additional costs it is incurring to ship products by air instead of rail works out to 700 hundred thousand dollars per year.
"It's been over three weeks. The suspension of rail service to Churchill is a public infrastructure failing that is being borne one hundred per cent by the citizens, businesses and other organizations in Churchill,” said North West President & CEO, Edward Kennedy in a news release. “ If this crisis was in a rural or urban area, action would have been taken within days.”
The retailer said it has advised the federal and provincial governments that it can only keep subsidizing food prices until June 25.
“North West intends to partially subsidize key food items, such as milk, over the short term and also plans to provide a sealift order service to individuals and businesses in the community,” said the release.
North West said it also plans to provide a sealift order service to the community, but it hopes Churchill can receive emergency relief funding and food subsidy programs.
“Until the sealift arrives in October, assistance is also needed on non-perishable items. The long term solutions may be complicated but the immediate ones are not."
The North West Company is a leading retailer of food and everyday products and services to rural communities and urban neighbourhoods in Canada, Alaska, the South Pacific and Caribbean.
