(eyefortransport.com)
The truck strike at
the Port of Vancouver is now having a ripple effect across the country, says Capt. Gordon Houston, president & CEO of the Vancouver Port Authority.
In other parts of Canada, railways are refusing
to load marine containers destined for the Vancouver market, and shipping lines are holding back goods destined for Vancouver from as far away as Europe, due to the potential impact on their operations.
"This is compromising our national transportation system as goods start to pile up elsewhere in the country," said Houston.
According to Brian Gerrior, a national manager of Sears
Canada, his company is taking a second look at other ports as a result of the dispute. "The word on the street is that Vancouver, Canada's largest port, is unstable in regard to its overall labour
force. It makes business nervous, so we're reassessing how we bring goods into this country. Frankly, it may be better to spend an extra couple weeks at sea and to come in through an east coast port, if
that's what it takes to make sure the product gets to the customer."
Houston says that the impact of this dispute is now reaching well beyond British Columbia. "This dispute is damaging the
reputation of the Port of Vancouver as a reliable gateway and that will lead to a loss of business and jobs."
The port's major customers are considering diverting cargo on a permanent basis.
"If truckers keep this up much longer, there will be fewer containers for them to haul, making it even more difficult to earn a living," says Houston, "and the temporary layoffs we've seen
to date will become permanent.
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