Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Employees at Canada's two biggest railways have authorized a strike that could see thousands of workers walk off the job in three weeks if they are unable to reach new deals on contract demands.
About 6,000 employees at Canadian National Railway Co. and 3,300 at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. voted more than 97 per cent in favour of a strike mandate this week, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference said Wednesday.
“After six months of negotiations with both companies, we are no closer to reaching a settlement than when we first began. Both companies are trying to strip our collective agreements of safety-critical rest provisions," said union president Paul Boucher.
"We are at an impasse."
Boucher warned that a work stoppage at both CN and CPKC simultaneously would disrupt supply chains on an unprecedented scale, calling for a deal that does not "put profits over people.”
CPKC said that the two deal options it has presented provide major benefits to workers and compromise nothing on safety. "To say or suggest otherwise is false," the company said in a bargaining update.
But it agreed on the disruptive impact of a strike or lockout.
"A work stoppage will impact all Canadians. It will halt freight traffic on CPKC’s Canadian rail network. It would disrupt essential supply chains throughout North America and significantly constrain trade between Canada and the U.S. and Mexico," the Calgary-based company said.
Commuters in Canada's three biggest cities could also be affected. Among the potential strikers are dispatchers who direct passenger trains on CPKC-owned rails used by riders along Toronto's GO Transit network as well Montreal's Exo line and Vancouver's West Coast Express.
While CPKC said those services "will be unable to operate," the TransLink regional transportation authority in Metro Vancouver said it does "not expect any impact" to the West Coast Express.
A CN spokesman said the company remains focused on finding a deal that would benefit both workers and the country's largest railroad operator, in part by "addressing work-life balance and productivity."
"Even when the company proposed a solution that would not touch duty-rest rules, the union has rejected it," said Jonathan Abecassis.
Three different contracts are under discussion — for CN workers, for CPKC workers and for CPKC rail traffic controllers.
This week's strike authorization vote, which saw more than 91 per cent turnout, means conductors, engineers, yard workers and dispatchers could hit the picket lines as soon as May 22, with a mandatory federal mediation period kicking off on Wednesday.
The union and management each accused the other of obstinance at the bargaining table.
"We are here to negotiate. However, all three bargaining committees continue to see little to no engagement from the companies," Boucher told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.
"The union is unavailable to meet until May 13," CN retorted.
"Ultimately, despite five months of consistent discussions, (Teamsters) has made very few concessions towards a negotiated agreement and has been unclear on what it is seeking for employees other than to continue focusing on a list of approximately 200 local and regional demands unrelated to a modern consolidated agreement benefitting employees and customers alike," the Montreal-based company said in a release.
CN struck a note of pessimism around the likelihood of a smooth resolution.
"Regrettably, CN maintains a cautious outlook regarding the possibility of finalizing a deal before a labour disruption that would affect the Canadian supply chain, the North American economy and our employees," it said.
However, CN workers in a separate union did manage to find a middle ground with the railway Wednesday. The company announced a new three-year collective agreement with 2,500 track and bridge employees who handle railroad maintenance. They make up a small slice of the United Steelworkers' Canadian membership.
Meanwhile, tense talks between Montreal port employers and the union representing some 1,200 dockworkers have stirred up more fears of yet another possible strike this spring. Longshore workers rejected an offer by management last week, voting more than 99.5 per cent against the would-be deal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.
A gunman who is accused of killing a young Ontario man and shooting four of his family members at their small Mississauga restaurant in 2021 was allegedly part of a trio who had pledged allegiance to the listed terrorist group Islamic State, a Crown attorney said in an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
A pair of Purolator transport truck drivers from Guelph, Ont. are being hailed as heroes for their efforts in helping a person in crisis.
Stopping short of offering the assurance U.S. senators are seeking, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is aware there's more work to do in order to see Canada meet NATO's defence spending target.
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.