{"id":27431,"date":"2022-10-28T12:45:50","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T12:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2022\/10\/28\/canadas-supply-chain-woes-come-down-to-one-very-canadian-problem\/"},"modified":"2022-10-28T12:45:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T12:45:50","slug":"canadas-supply-chain-woes-come-down-to-one-very-canadian-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2022\/10\/28\/canadas-supply-chain-woes-come-down-to-one-very-canadian-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada&#8217;s supply chain woes come down to one very Canadian problem"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><\/div><p> \n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<header aria-label=\"Beginning of Article\" class=\"article-header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\" data-aqa=\"nav-breadcrumb\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Breadcrumb Trail Links<\/h2>\n<ol class=\"breadcrumbs__items list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> Transportation <\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> Rail <\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> News <\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> Economy <\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> Commodities <\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\"> Agriculture <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"article-header__detail\">\n<div class=\"article-header__detail__texts\">\n<p class=\"article-subtitle\"> Two railways rule the country. Is it time for more competition? <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"featured-image\" data-aqa=\"featured-image\"><picture class=\"featured-image__ratio\"><\/picture><figcaption class=\"featured-image__caption image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">A Canadian Pacific Rail train hauling grain passes through Calgary<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Jeff McIntosh\/The Canadian Press<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>A wooden bridge burned down one morning this month on a rail line in northwestern Alberta, near an S-shaped bend in the Smoky River about 100 kilometres south of Grande Prairie. An old resource road was a few kilometres away. From there, first responders had to use all-terrain vehicles to get to the site. They found water close by and extinguished the fire. But the bridge was \u201ctotally destroyed,\u201d according to RCMP Cpl. Deanna Fontaine.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment7977119356735637187597599423164000\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment7977119356735637187597599423164000\">Advertisement 2<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-2\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[6,6],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"6x6\" data-ad-loc=\"2\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[6,6],[320,50],[300,50],[300,250],[300,600]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-2\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:600px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Neither RCMP nor Canadian National Railway Co., which has its own police force investigating the incident, will say who or what they believe caused the fire on Oct. 5. Whatever happened, it quickly became clear how much had been depending on that old bridge across a valley in the middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"article-content__widget-group article-content__widget-group--content-slot6 article-content__widget-group--newsletter-slot\">\n<section aria-labelledby=\"FPEnergy8209744799190625623260509901733007\" class=\"newsletter-widget None background--primary-light-gradient\" data-account-id=\"b9d3df2fccd108b5eff3c44f573b2cd6\" data-aqa=\"widget-newsletter\" data-newsletter=\"single\" data-newsletter-component=\"\" data-target-list=\"FP_Energy\" data-widget=\"newsletter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 75w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 100w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 150w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 240w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 320w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 500w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 640w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 800w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 1024w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 1280w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg 1600w\" alt=\"FP Energy Banner\" class=\"newsletter-widget__banner\" height=\"60\" loading=\"lazy\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/12.1.4\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/FP_Energy.svg\" width=\"97\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__body\">\n<div class=\"js-replace-main\">  <small class=\"newsletter-widget__disclaimer text-size--micro\"> By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 <\/small> <\/div>\n<div class=\"js-submit-success\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitSuccessFP_Energy\">\n<h3 class=\"newsletter__feedback--heading\">Thanks for signing up!<\/h3>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text\">A welcome email is on its way. If you don&#8217;t see it, please check your junk folder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text newsletter__feedback--last\">The next issue of FP Energy will soon be in your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text js-submit-error\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitErrorFP_Energy\"> We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Without it, a 375-kilometre branch line, which juts out from CN\u2019s main east-west corridor around Jasper National Park and runs north to Grande Prairie, was snapped into two useless pieces. Train traffic stopped in both directions for about a week. So the five major grain elevators on that line struggled to get their wheat, oats, barley and oilseeds to ships waiting at ports in Thunder Bay, along the St. Lawrence River and on the West Coast.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6338748911285368847041264587981086\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment6338748911285368847041264587981086\">Advertisement 3<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-3\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[7,7],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"7x7\" data-ad-loc=\"3\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[7,7],[300,250],[320,50],[300,50]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-3\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>It was the worst time of year for that to be happening. A bumper grain harvest was just coming off the Prairies, global demand for grain was surging, and farmers were lining up to sell their new crop and generate some cash after some very lean months following last year\u2019s drought.<\/p>\n<p>On the morning after the fire, a grain elevator in Grande Prairie called Greg Sears, a farmer in nearby Sexsmith, Alta., and told him to hold off delivering 90 tonnes of canola for at least a few weeks on account of the rail shutdown.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A train passes by the Sexsmith grain elevator in Alberta, in 2011.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/saskatchewan-grain-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> A train passes by the Sexsmith grain elevator in Alberta, in 2011.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Dan Ilika\/Daily-Herald Tribune\/QMI Agency<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s $75,000 to $100,000 of product that I\u2019m not going to get a cheque for any time soon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">For some in the industry, the bridge was proof of how easily things can fall apart in the Canadian supply chain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe incident highlights the sector\u2019s vulnerability to rail disruptions,\u201d the credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar said in an Oct. 19 note about the fire. \u201cWhat started out as a seemingly small disruption has the potential to snowball.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment1957077447736727980863026838761778\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment1957077447736727980863026838761778\">Advertisement 4<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-4\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"4\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-4\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">Before the bridge, there was a washout<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>in southern British Columbia that severed the main route into the Port of Vancouver for a week. Before that, it was the 2021 atmospheric rivers\u00a0that choked off access to and from the British Columbia coast. And climate change likely will make it all worse \u2014 so much so that it probably won\u2019t make sense to cram the Prairies\u2019 entire bounty through a few \u201cumbilical\u201d rail lines in the Rockies, as one scholar put it in testimony at the House agriculture committee last month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of the food production in this enormous area the size of Europe is going through essentially a small number of rail lines and through a couple of passes,\u201d said Evan Fraser, director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph. \u201cThe system buckles. Every couple of years it buckles.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment490342010756789514415762957937986\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment490342010756789514415762957937986\">Advertisement 5<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-5\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"5\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-5\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">Transport Minister Omar Alghabra\u2019s national supply chain task force, formed in the wake of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, determined the country needs a Plan B. In a report published earlier this month, the group gave 21 recommendations to help stabilize and unclog the supply chain, including a call for more investment to build \u201credundancies\u201d and new backup routes for the most vulnerable choke points in trade corridors and border crossings.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"\">\n<p>The system buckles. Every couple of years it buckles<\/p>\n<p>Evan Fraser, director, Arrell Food Institute<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cFailures could occur anywhere in the country: in the West by mountains, fire or weather; in Central Canada by floods; or in the East by winter storms, ice and washouts,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p>The recommendations came with a stark warning: If the government does nothing, Canada\u2019s reputation as a reliable trading partner on the world stage will falter and that would jeopardize our exports, which make up half of Canada\u2019s gross domestic product.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment5030940105213571128839915924584200\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment5030940105213571128839915924584200\">Advertisement 6<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-6\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"6\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-6\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThis report is an urgent call,\u201d Louise Yako, the logistics industry veteran who co-chaired the task force, said at a news conference.<\/p>\n<h2>There\u2019s a twist<\/h2>\n<p>John Heimbecker doesn\u2019t give interviews that often. Top grain executives rarely do, and he is one of the industry\u2019s most important executives, in charge of Winnipeg-based Parrish &amp; Heimbecker Ltd., a network of grain elevators founded in 1909 that is now Canada\u2019s largest flour miller and one of its largest grain exporters.<\/p>\n<p>Heimbecker agreed to speak because for him, the talk of spending billions to protect the supply chain against burned bridges, sinkholes and floods doesn\u2019t make sense. Those things aren\u2019t what\u2019s actually causing clogs and congestion, slowing down his grain shipments on their way to international clients, costing his business \u201cenormous\u201d amounts of money in late charges.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6674875796147475618818093492620638\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment6674875796147475618818093492620638\">Advertisement 7<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-7\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"7\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-7\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cEverybody wants to say, \u2018Oh we need more capital. We\u2019ve got to invest billions in the supply chain.\u2019 Not true,\u201d he said. \u201cWe move grain long distances, through mountains and over rivers. And look, there\u2019s going to be a problem from time to time. But it\u2019s not like a bridge is going out every two weeks and it\u2019s not like landslides happen all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A CP Rail grain train on the Prairies.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> A CP Rail grain train on the Prairies.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Handout\/Canadian Pacific Railway<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The remarks might come as a surprise to some in the industry, mostly because grain shippers in Canada aren\u2019t known for being satisfied with the transportation system. One of the defining aspects of the grain business, especially lately, has been its relentless frustration with poor service from the railways. (In fact, Heimbecker made that quite clear: \u201cI\u2019ve got lots of problems with the railways, but they\u2019ve spent massive amounts of money in the last 20 years upgrading the rail, their car fleets.\u201d Then, for good measure: \u201cAnd I\u2019m no fan of the railway here.\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment8401785599082428848680571248220052\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment8401785599082428848680571248220052\">Advertisement 8<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-8\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"8\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-8\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Fixing the system, for Heimbecker, isn\u2019t really about money. Sure, the infrastructure could use some investment. \u201cAnd I have lots of ideas on how we could do that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think the problem is complete mismanagement by the government. Our supply chain\u2019s biggest problems emanate from ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a common gripe. Shippers have been particularly critical of the government for regulatory red tape that causes backlogs, including a rule on the B.C. coast, rarely observed at other international ports, that essentially prevents most grain ships from loading in the rain, which can waste a lot of time in a place as damp as Vancouver.<\/p>\n<p>One of Heimbecker\u2019s main critiques of the government, one that\u2019s mostly absent from the task force\u2019s recommendation, is that it\u2019s been too soft on the two companies that control the rail system: CN and its long-time rival, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment5721772510948403169560943830439084\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment5721772510948403169560943830439084\">Advertisement 9<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-9\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"9\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-9\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Grain elevators in rural areas are typically served by CN or CP, not both. Alghabra\u2019s task force noted that those relationships between grain shippers and the big railroads aren\u2019t \u201cbalanced by normal market forces.\u201d In other words, grain companies are stuck with whichever railway runs through town, with little choice but to accept whatever train service they\u2019re offered.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A worker directs grain into a train car in Alberta.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-railcar-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> A worker directs grain into a train car in Alberta.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Ryan Jackson\/Edmonton Journal files<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got two railways that act as a virtual monopoly,\u201d Heimbecker said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re negotiating with monopolies, it\u2019s just, they become very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a critique that has been levelled at the federal government again and again, for allowing a handful of companies in a handful of industries to hoover up rivals and snuff out competition \u2014 grocery retail, air travel, telecommunications, banking.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment4686147865966616925168483008155560\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment4686147865966616925168483008155560\">Advertisement 10<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-10\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"10\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-10\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cCanada is a country of oligopolies,\u201d said David Gillen, a professor of operations and logistics at the University of British Columbia\u2019s Sauder School of Business, who serves as director of the school\u2019s Centre for Transportation Studies.<\/p>\n<p>The question is: what\u2019s to be done about it?<\/p>\n<h2>How to crack a monopoly<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">Alghabra\u2019s task force suggested you could increase competition by expanding a concept in federal transport law known as interswitching. If a grain shipper\u2019s facility is on a CN line, but that line intersects with a nearby CP line, federal rules dictate that CN has to bring the shipper\u2019s freight to the CP line. As the rule is written right now, the interchange has to be within 30 kilometres of the shipper\u2019s facility. The task force wants Ottawa to increase that limit, by next spring, but the report doesn\u2019t give a new number on how wide the new interswitch zone should be.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment882206573644885521437994983085903\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment882206573644885521437994983085903\">Advertisement 11<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-11\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"11\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-11\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Alghabra is \u201creviewing\u201d the recommendation, spokesperson Nadine Ramadan said in an email.<\/p>\n<p>In theory, the change would inject more competition into the system, Heimbecker said, but it would have to include language that would stop the railways from dragging their feet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m worried about the detail,\u201d he said. \u201cHow does that work? And when am I going to get those cars? The railways won\u2019t co-operate. If I order (rail cars) in next week, do I get them? Or do I get them in two or three weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A farmer harvest wheat in Alberta, in September.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/wheat-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> A farmer harvest wheat in Alberta, in September.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Jeff McIntosh\/The Canadian Press<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Delays on the rail network have been a sore subject for the grain industry this fall.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">Farmers across the Prairies finished harvesting their grain in October, yielding an expected 75.2 million tonnes, according to forecasts by Statistics Canada. That\u2019s enough to make this harvest a \u201ctop five all-time Canadian crop,\u201d Ghislain Houle, CN\u2019s chief financial officer, said on a call with analysts on Oct. 25.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment1105686601257912736397885477314461\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment1105686601257912736397885477314461\">Advertisement 12<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-12\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"12\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-12\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">This harvest has become one of the most anticipated in recent memory,\u00a0coming off the fields at a time when Canadian grain storages are empty following last year\u2019s drought, food retail inflation is at a 41-year high and the war in Ukraine has cast a shadow of uncertainty around the global food supply.<\/p>\n<p>So Canada\u2019s grain exporters want to get the crops onto trains and into global markets as soon as possible, before Australia\u2019s grain harvest enters the market in December and drives down prices, according to Wade Sobkowich, who leads the industry\u2019s main lobby group, the Western Grain Elevator Association.<\/p>\n<p>For months, CP and CN braced for the surge, bulking up their fleets with new grain hopper cars and trying to hire new staff.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment2297227663900845227319822821134296\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment2297227663900845227319822821134296\">Advertisement 13<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-13\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"13\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-13\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">\u201cEvery kernel that\u2019s harvested this year is going to want to move,\u201d CN\u2019s CEO Tracy Robinson said on May 17. \u201cWe need to be ready for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Excuses<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">But by the fall, CN started making excuses. In its annual grain plan, the railway said it wouldn\u2019t be able to keep pace with demand the last three months of 2022, in part because it wasn\u2019t able to \u201chire and train all the conductors that we wanted\u201d to have in place by harvest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things that\u2019s lost in this is, during the pandemic, both railways really downsized. They got rid of a number of people,\u201d UBC\u2019s Gillen said. \u201cAnd now that demand is just growing like crazy, they don\u2019t have the crews.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A CN locomotive in Vancouver, in 2020.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> A CN locomotive in Vancouver, in 2020.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-async=\"\">The railways appeared to start falling behind in September. A collection of grain industry lobby groups known as the Ag Transport Coalition tracks how many grain cars are ordered and how many the railways actually provide on a weekly basis. During the week of Sept. 18, CN and CP only provided about 70 per cent of all grain cars ordered by elevators in the week of Sept. 18, marking a \u201csignificant decline\u201d from 83 per cent the previous week and well below \u201cthe 90 per cent threshold,\u201d according to the coalition.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment877008507227553422273060707768465\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment877008507227553422273060707768465\">Advertisement 14<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-14\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"14\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-14\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThis is the heavy shipping period and they\u2019re already behind. And you know, once you get behind, it\u2019s very hard to catch up,\u201d Heimbecker said on Oct. 7. \u201cIt\u2019s more or less the same story every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The comeback<\/h2>\n<p>Through October, however, new reports and comments started to emerge, showing the railways have started to turn it around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re facing a bumper crop. We\u2019ve got a lot of expectations. We\u2019re going to meet expectations,\u201d CP chief executive Keith Creel said during an earnings update on Oct. 26, adding that the railway had hired 1,500 conductors since the start of the year. \u201cWe\u2019ve never been in better shape. Now, listen, I don\u2019t want to get arrogant here at all. Mother Nature can humble us tomorrow. That\u2019s a tough railroad to operate in. But I\u2019m very, very pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment868234394841237926942124956590210\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment868234394841237926942124956590210\">Advertisement 15<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-15\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"15\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-15\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">Fill rates improved consistently through September, hitting 86-per-cent fulfilment by the first week of October.<\/p>\n<p>In that week, CP sent \u201cthe most hopper cars to western Canadian elevators in its history,\u201d spokesperson Salem Woodrow said in an email earlier this month.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"CP trains at a rail yard in Calgary.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> CP trains at a rail yard in Calgary.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Gavin Young\/Postmedia<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-async=\"\">And this week, CN sent out a news release boasting that it had shattered an internal record on grain shipments. During the week of Oct. 17, CN moved over 806,000 tonnes of grain, beating a previous record by over 50,000 metric tonnes. \u201cThis record also comes on the heels of CN\u2019s second best September ever for grain movement from Western Canada, with over 2.64 million metric tonnes moved,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n<p>Sobkowich, the grain lobbyist, said he welcomed the new record, then added: \u201cEven an amateur golfer is known to hit a hole in one once in a while \u2026 What turns that golfer into a pro is hitting good shots consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment5550413922534853861287734164305831\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment5550413922534853861287734164305831\">Advertisement 16<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-16\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"16\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-16\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>CN has been vocal about the grain industry\u2019s unrealistic demands on its network during the harvest this year. David Przednowek, who heads CN\u2019s grain unit, said last month that CN will be able to move this year\u2019s grain harvest, but shipments need to be spread out over the crop year, which runs from Aug. 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">The railway is only one part of an interconnected supply chain, so it\u2019s impacted by things outside its control, like weather and delays at port terminals, he said. If the industry wants to move the bulk of the harvest in the span of a few weeks, all through the same corridor through the Rockies, \u201cit\u2019s not going to fit,\u201d Przednowek said in an interview last month. \u201cThere\u2019s a limit to how much the supply chain can handle.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6203469545527928752684729295667887\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment6203469545527928752684729295667887\">Advertisement 17<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-17\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"17\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-17\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>That isn\u2019t much comfort to John Heimbecker in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe harvest slot \u2014 October, November, December, January \u2014 this is when customers of Canada want the grain. That\u2019s when we supply it,\u201d he said. And if he doesn\u2019t, he loses revenue and gets slapped with penalties for late deliveries.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A worker unloads soybeans from a truck at a grain elevator in Manitoba.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-elevator-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> A worker unloads soybeans from a truck at a grain elevator in Manitoba.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Shannon VanRaes\/Bloomberg<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThose costs are massive. They\u2019re enormous,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I don\u2019t deliver my grain to (Japanese trading giant) Mitsui, I\u2019ve got to pay,\u201d Heimbecker continued. \u201cIf the railways are held accountable, they\u2019ll perform.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most deals between grain elevators and the railways also involve penalties. The railroad agrees to send an elevator a certain amount of cars, and the elevator agrees to use them. If one side doesn\u2019t hold up its end, there\u2019s a cost for that.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment1355844672202776350312554481577733\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment1355844672202776350312554481577733\">Advertisement 18<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-18\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"18\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-18\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>To add an extra layer of fairness, the federal government allows shippers to take the railways to binding arbitration if they don\u2019t like the deal.<\/p>\n<p>In statements for this story, both CN and CP pointed to this system as proof that they are held accountable for the level of service they provide to shippers. Heimbecker said the federal protection has helped, but it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"\">\n<p>It\u2019s not that the railways can\u2019t move the grain. It\u2019s that they won\u2019t move it<\/p>\n<p>John Heimbecker<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not that the railways can\u2019t move the grain. It\u2019s that they won\u2019t move it,\u201d Heimbecker said. \u201cAnd they won\u2019t do it because they pick and choose. They pick the highest margin products to move at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">Grain isn\u2019t the most lucrative commodity the railways move. According to CN\u2019s latest quarterly update, the \u201cgrain and fertilizers\u201d category earned $5.20 for every ton shipped a single mile. Petroleum earned $7.26 per ton per mile in the third quarter. Metals and minerals fetched $7.24, forestry products made $8.32, and coal earned $4.47.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment3335802725588148552145907025985386\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment3335802725588148552145907025985386\">Advertisement 19<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-19\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"19\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-19\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">Sobkowich made a similar allegation earlier in the harvest, accusing the rail companies of reallocating resources to take advantage of a recent surge in coal shipments. \u201cCP shows no preference to coal or, for that matter, any specific commodity,\u201d CP spokesperson Salem Woodrow said last month. CN went even further, explaining that siphoning resources from grain shipments to another commodity wouldn\u2019t make sense, because they use different types of rail cars, different routes and different crews.<\/p>\n<p>Przednowek, CN\u2019s assistant vice-president for grain, said crews are based in one place, and only work on a short stretch of a rail line, so it isn\u2019t as simple as moving a crew from one commodity, in one region, to another commodity somewhere else.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment5095810142696313237725510858049572\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment5095810142696313237725510858049572\">Advertisement 20<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-20\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"20\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-20\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIt is absolutely not accurate to say, \u2018Well we\u2019re just moving a bunch of people from here over here to move a bunch of coal,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s not the case at all. That is not how things work.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Incentives are to shift\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Gillen, the director of UBC\u2019s Centre for Transportation Studies, said this is a case where both sides are right and wrong at the same time. It\u2019s true that switching over cars and assets to ship one commodity to another is a cumbersome process, but not impossible.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A CN train carrying coal in Alberta.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-coal-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> A CN train carrying coal in Alberta.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Handout\/Canadian National Railway<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely true that if you have a valuable commodity and you\u2019re making more money on it, then why wouldn\u2019t you want to do something like that?\u201d he said. \u201cIf the grain companies want to pay more money in order to, in a sense, bid for that capacity, fair enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment3796447856660994522841518835564723\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment3796447856660994522841518835564723\">Advertisement 21<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-21\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"21\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-21\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">The federal government, however, puts a cap on the amount of money that CN and CP can make from transporting western grain to provide some price protection for shippers\u00a0\u2014 a program known as the maximum revenue entitlement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you cap the revenue that can be earned from a service the incentives are to shift use of your capacity elsewhere,\u201d Gillen added in an email.<\/p>\n<p>Sobkowich and the grain elevators argue that they\u2019re also at a disadvantage when negotiating with railways, since they can\u2019t afford to go through the long and cumbersome federal arbitration process. If a grain elevator opted to contest a contract because they wanted the railway to send more railcars, for example, they would have to wait six months to a year for arbitration, he said. During that time, they\u2019d have no contract and instead would have to vie for leftover after the railway fulfilled its contractual obligations to competing grain elevators, according to Sobkowich.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment3230479832999539332265865291810396\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment3230479832999539332265865291810396\">Advertisement 22<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-22\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"22\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-22\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWell, you\u2019ve lost the harvest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>On top of that, arbitration can cost as much as $1 million in legal fees, according to Gillen.<\/p>\n<p>But all the talk of lengthening interswitches, or making federal protections easier to access, ignores one of the more radical options when it comes to making the railways more competitive. That, Gillen said, would involve expanding access for third-party railroads to rent CN and CP tracks \u2014 something known as \u201crunning rights,\u201d which are common in Australia and Europe.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Railroad tracks by a grain elevator in Alberta.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/railroad-tracks-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=576 2x\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\"> Railroad tracks by a grain elevator in Alberta.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Randy Vanderveen\/Postmedia files<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Expanding running rights for independent railways wouldn\u2019t lead to the emergence of a third cross-country rail line, Gillen said. Instead, it might lead to a few grain shippers getting together to run a short line, from their remote region down to a main corridor, where they can access CN or CP trains easier than they could on a remote branch line, like the one up to Grande Prairie.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment4603727126000363193392200849098458\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment4603727126000363193392200849098458\">Advertisement 23<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-23\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"23\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-23\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe railways will fight it tooth and nail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, CP responded to questions about running rights and interswitches by warning that more regulation from Ottawa could \u201cincrease the burden on the rail system, undermining the system\u2019s efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Back to the bridge<\/h2>\n<p>The bridge that burned down near Grande Prairie was a wood trestle bridge \u2014 a style that uses short spans held up by a series of towers in quick succession, each one stiffened by a weave of timber triangles. It was the sort of bridge that was in vogue when railroads expanded West in their golden age, more than a century ago, because they were easy to erect in rugged terrain and cheap to make, with timber in abundance.<\/p>\n<section aria-labelledby=\"moreTopicLabel1267739699151586510080131327352959\" class=\"more-topic\" data-aqa=\"embed-more-topic\" data-carousel-component=\"\" data-carousel-icon-button=\"\" data-carousel-type=\"list\"> <button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-prev\" data-carousel-prev=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"previous\" type=\"button\"\/> <\/p>\n<ol class=\"more-topic__items list-unstyled\" data-carousel-slide-list=\"\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<li class=\"more-topic__item\" data-carousel-item=\"\">  <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A Canadian National Railway Co. container at the Intermodal Terminals in Brampton, Ont.\" class=\"lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=192&strip=all&quality=80 2x,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/no1006cnrail.jpg?h=288&strip=all&quality=80 3x\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<h3 class=\"more-topic__item-text\"> <span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\"> Fragility of Canada\u2019s supply chains on display as burning Alberta bridge stalls grain shipments <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"more-topic__item\" data-carousel-item=\"\">  <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A worker unloads soybeans from a truck at a Viterra grain elevator near Rosser, Man.\" class=\"lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=192&strip=all&quality=80 2x,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/no0923grain.jpg?h=288&strip=all&quality=80 3x\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<h3 class=\"more-topic__item-text\"> <span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\"> \u2018Very, very concerning\u2019: Grain shippers fear railroads won\u2019t be able to contend with bumper harvest <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"more-topic__item\" data-carousel-item=\"\">  <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. says it's ready to ship a bumper crop of Canadian grain this year. \n\" class=\"lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=192&strip=all&quality=80 2x,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cp-rail-1027-ph.jpg?h=288&strip=all&quality=80 3x\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<h3 class=\"more-topic__item-text\"> <span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\"> \u2018We\u2019ve never been in better shape\u2019: CP Rail boosts profit and outlook ahead of \u2018top five all-time\u2019 grain crops <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"more-topic__item\" data-carousel-item=\"\">  <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"\nA Canadian National Railway locomotive pulls a train in Montreal.\" class=\"lazyload\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80&ssl=1\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=96&strip=all&quality=80,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=192&strip=all&quality=80 2x,\n                                    https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cn-rail-vw1026.jpg?h=288&strip=all&quality=80 3x\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<h3 class=\"more-topic__item-text\"> <span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\"> CN boosts profit forecast after record revenues in third quarter <\/span> <\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-next\" data-carousel-next=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"next\" type=\"button\"\/> <\/section>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment5565899639503634329494224494965519\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment5565899639503634329494224494965519\">Advertisement 24<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-24\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"24\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-24\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>CN staff worked in shifts, coming in and out to the site from Grande Prairie, to fix it. Rather than rebuild it, the railway filled in the area where the 450-foot bridge once stood over the valley. The work continued 24 hours a day for just over a week. CN sent trains and trucks to the area, carrying enough earth to fill 20 Olympic swimming pools, according to a LinkedIn post written by the railway\u2019s chief operating officer, Rob Reilly.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">\u201cThis is an example of CN teamwork at its best,\u201d Reilly wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Eight days after the fire, on Oct. 13, the line to Grande Prairie was up and running again.<\/p>\n<p>The bridge had been there since the late 1960s. In Reilly\u2019s photo on LinkedIn, it is gone, just shiny tracks on a mound of gravel and fresh soil. So whatever it was, whatever\u2019s left of it, whatever it represented about our system, good or bad, is now beneath 60,000 cubic yards of dirt.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\"><em>\u2022 Email: jedmiston@postmedia.com | Twitter: <a class=\"twitter-follow-button\" data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" link=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jakeedmiston\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">jakeedmiston<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"1200\" id=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/modules.wearehearken.com\/financial-post\/embed\/9353\/share\" style=\"--height: 1200px; \" width=\"\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__share-group article-delimiter\" data-evt=\"beforeunload\" data-evt-typ=\"page_scroll\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Share this article in your social network<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"article-content__ad-group\">\n<div class=\"ad__section-border ad__section-border--category visually-hidden\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment2795957919348298136055994250380013\" class=\"ad\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\" id=\"advertisment2795957919348298136055994250380013\">Advertisement <\/h2>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-acceptable\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-acceptable=\"\" data-ad-loc=\"1\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-acceptable\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p> This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<footer aria-label=\"Article Comments\" class=\"article-footer\">\n<section class=\"comments__section\" data-aqa=\"viafoura-comments\" id=\"comments\">\n<h3 class=\"widget-title comments-anchor\" id=\"comments-area\">Comments<\/h3>\n<p class=\"comments__section-disclaimer\"> Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications\u2014you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>Canada&#8217;s supply chain woes come down to one very Canadian problem<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>2022-10-28 12:45:50<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breadcrumb Trail Links Transportation Rail News Economy Commodities Agriculture Two railways rule the country. Is it time for more competition? A Canadian Pacific Rail train hauling grain passes through Calgary&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/grain-train-vw1027.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/27432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}