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Dear Customer,
The following excerpt is taken from a Customer Bulletin received from CN:
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I would like to update you on the status of the illegal rail blockades on our network.
I would like to inform you that the illegal blockades have come to an end in Manitoba and may be ending imminently in British Columbia. The orders of the court in Ontario have yet to be enforced and continue to be ignored. We have tried to adjust our operations to serve customers in the face of these challenges, we are now left with the only remaining responsible option: progressively shutting down its Eastern Canadian operations until the illegal blockades end. This will include stopping and safely securing trains destined to points east of Toronto, ON and may imminently lead to temporary layoffs within the company’s Eastern Canadian operational staff. This shutdown does not include traffic between CN’s Brampton terminal and Macmillan yard and Western Canada and the United States.
With over 400 trains cancelled during the last week and new protests that emerged at strategic locations on our mainline, we have decided that a progressive shutdown of our Eastern Canadian operations is the responsible approach to take for the safety of our employees and the protestors. This situation is regrettable for its impact on the economy, and our railroaders as these protests are unrelated to CN's activities, and beyond our control. Our shutdown will be progressive and methodical to ensure that we are well set up for recovery, which will come when the illegal blockades end completely.
Our recovery however, will be greatly impeded by the Ministerial Order issued by the Transport Minister on February 6th. This afternoon I sent a letter to Minister Garneau, asking for a 14 day suspension of the order on CN following the resumption of service. This would be a meaningful contribution to help spark back the economy and quickly regain some of our international trade reputation around the world. Read letter now
The Ministerial Order
I know that rail transportation is critical to your business and the overall economic health of Canada and to the general public who rely on the many products that are shipped by rail. I truly regret the major disruption this has caused you and your business. Thank you for the outpour of support, as well as your patience and collaboration during this difficult period. The entire CN team is committed to returning to the level of reliable service to which you are accustomed when all the illegal blockades end completely.
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We will continue to provide updates as they become available.
Sincerely,
HENSALL GLOBAL LOGISTICS
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