Farmers first to be affected by rail shutdown: Dalhousie professor
The shutdown of the railway system in Canada is expected to impact people from all walks of life, but a Dalhousie professor thinks farmers will be the first to feel the brunt of the closure.
In an interview with CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis on Thursday, Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, said farmers and manufacturers are in a vulnerable position as the first full day of the shutdown drags on.
“We’re in day one and it’s impacting farmers right away,” he said. “In the Atlantic and elsewhere it’s harvest time. (Farmers) don’t have access to market.
“Right now the most vulnerable node is farming and after that you have manufacturing. Let’s say you produce cake and you need an ingredient stuck in Halifax or Vancouver. You’re going to lay off some people because you can’t produce anything. You’re always one ingredient away from creating a bottleneck.”
Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City locked out hundreds of employees early Thursday after months of negotiations.
Charlebois said he’s spoken with several companies and found many of them have prepared for the shutdown.
“They have some inventory,” he said. “We are expecting some empty shelves. As soon as you go from rails to wheels, it doubles your transportation costs. Perishability could be an issue.”
Charlebois said customers could begin to notice issues at stores if the shutdown drags past five or seven days.
“Seven days is a lot,” he said. “It takes seven days to recover from one day of stoppage. It would require more than a month to recover from a week of shutdown, which is why it’s so critical we see this resolved.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.4822761.1582326806!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
DEVELOPING Kingston, Ont. police investigate triple stabbing
Police in Kingston, Ont. say a standoff is underway between officers and a suspect following a triple stabbing Thursday morning.
Family of Sikh man speaks out against Toronto-area hospital after beard shaved
The family of a Sikh man from Brampton is seeking an apology, an explanation, and a promise to do better from the local hospital network after they say the facial hair of their loved one was removed without their consent.
A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattles the Los Angeles area
A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the Los Angeles area Thursday morning, unleashing boulders onto a Malibu road, visibly shaking Santa Monica's 1909 wooden pier and jolting some people from bed. No injuries or damages were immediately reported.
BREAKING 3 dead in Lloydminster, Sask., few details available
Three people are dead after an "incident" in Lloydminster, RCMP have confirmed.
Consul general to New York answering questions over $9M luxury condo purchase
After weeks of pressure, Canada's consul general Tom Clark is testifying on Thursday before a House of Commons committee about the purchase of his new official residence in New York that generated a lot of political attention over the summer.
Air Canada pushing for government intervention as clock ticks on labour talks
Air Canada is asking the federal government to be ready to intervene in its labour talks with its pilots as time is running out before a potential shutdown.
Realtor fined by B.C. regulator after property photos digitally altered
A British Columbia Realtor has been fined thousands of dollars after a property listing was found to contain photos that were digitally altered to hide peeling paint and show furnishings that did not exist.
Man charged after multiple child sex dolls seized from home: Winnipeg police
A Winnipeg man has been charged with multiple offences after sex dolls designed to look like children were seized from his home.
OPP constable charged after alleged assault at Santa's Village
A veteran OPP officer is facing an assault charge following an incident at an amusement park in Bracebridge.