'Another black eye': Vancouver port strike impacting Manitoba grain farmers during harvest season

Farmers across the Prairies are in the thick of the fall harvest, but a grain terminal worker strike in Vancouver is threatening their bottom line.

Around 650 workers in Metro Vancouver walked off the job Tuesday, demanding better pay, pensions, and benefits. The strike could potentially cost $35 million a day in lost exports.

"I actually use the phrase 'another black eye', I think, for Canada as an (exporter) of grain," said Jill Verwey, the president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP).

According to KAP, 70 per cent of Canada's bulk grain – around 27 million tonnes – passes through Vancouver's terminals each year.

"That's millions if not billions of dollars of revenue for the ag sector and definitely an impact on everyone."

A lengthy strike would create a significant rail backlog and could mean some producers won't be able to fulfill contracts and pay bills.

"This is their payday. And they got loans and they got people who (they) have to pay," said Barry Prentice, a supply chain manager professor at the University of Manitoba.

Prentice said Manitoba producers will be hurt, but not as bad as farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta because of the province's proximity to other ports.

"Prince Rupert and Thunder Bay are still open. And in the case of Manitoba, we ship more grain through Thunder Bay than the other two provinces. So again, a little less impact, but it depends where you're shipping."

KAP wants to see a swift resolution at the bargaining table to get grain moving again.

"We always hate to see this at the 12th hour of the day to try to satisfy these things, and in a lot of cases, holding producers as a hostage when we're negotiating these types of things," said Verwey.

The federal Labour Minister weighed in this week on social media saying both sides had agreed to resume negotiations alongside federal mediators. But there's been no clear indication they're any closer to reaching a deal.

Manitoba's Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn told CTV News Winnipeg in an email that it is in the interest of all parties to resolve the dispute as soon as possible. He added the province will help protect grain producers from changes in costs and market conditions.