By Jaryn Vecchio

B.C. port strike may be coming to an end, Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association unsure whether deal will be reached

Jul 31, 2023 | 1:44 PM

There’s optimism that the B.C. port strike may be coming to an end.

In a joint statement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and the BC Maritime Employers Association claimed the two sides reached an agreement Sunday night with members set to vote on whether or not to ratify it.

No details about the agreement or when the vote will happen have been released. The Canada Industrial Relations Board has stated the vote must happen no later than Friday.

Despite many believing this could be the end of the dispute, one group has no plans of celebrating until the members officially approve the deal.

According to Jim Smolik, who oversees stakeholder relations for the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, this is because an agreement was thrown out late last week that they thought would have ended the dispute.

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“I guess we were pretty confident that when the second go around was recommended for them to accept the offer and they didn’t, it kind of makes you question how interested some of the workers are for actually getting back to work.”

He added it’s too early to put a dollar amount on the impact the strike has had on the ag sector.

Not only has it impacted exports but imports, as certain items farmers will need for harvest will most likely be delayed due to a stockpile of goods at the port.

“It’s how they’re going to stage vessels now that they’ve been sitting and then there’s also attempts to get movement out of the port, so there’s a backlog on both sides,” Smolik said.

Meanwhile, Smolik noted this year has been like a ‘perfect storm’ for those in the ag sector.

Along with this ongoing dispute, many have been dealing with wildfires, drought-like conditions, and the ongoing impacts that the war in Ukraine is having on prices and food supply.

-With files from the Canadian Press

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow