The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is urging Ottawa to work with the provinces and law enforcement to ensure cross-Canada rail service is immediately resumed.
CFIB President-CEO Dan Kelly posted an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider the plight of small business owners regarding the economic impact of ongoing rail blockades.
“Canada's reputation as a dependable place to do business is at stake if a speedy resolution is not reached,” he wrote in a Feb. 19 news release.
CFIB represents a membership of 110,000 small- and medium-sized businesses.
Agriculture, natural resources and the manufacturing are most affected by these blockades but so are the downstream retail, transportation and wholesale sectors, Kelly wrote.
“We have been contacted by several members who are worried about the impact on their business if these blockades are not resolved immediately."
Kelly mentioned a small Quebec flag and banner business is awaiting a shipment of material from Taiwan to complete a big contract that could cost them $100,000 if delivery is not made by the end of March.
An Alberta manufacturer may be forced to lay off close to 400 employees shortly if a steel shipment doesn’t arrive by rail within the next 30 days.
CFIB said a prolonged disruption of rail service offers few options for businesses to get their products to market or receive shipments, putting the future of these firms at risk.
With CN Rail shutting down eastern Canada freight service, some shippers are finding a way around the anti-pipeline protests by leaning on the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.
The Crown agency confirmed to BayToday that CN is re-routing traffic onto its line connecting to western Quebec.
