‘No viable alternative’: Grain farmers fear railway lockout will have lasting impact

Grain Growers of Canada director Kyle Larkin says the situation is a concerning one for the country's 65,000 grain farmers at a very critical time of year.

The work stoppage at Canada’s two main railway companies could have a devastating impact on businesses nationwide that rely on rail, but organizations representing grain farmers on the Prairies are concerned about the lasting effects beyond the lockout.

Grain Growers of Canada director Kyle Larkin says the situation is a concerning one for the country’s 65,000 grain farmers at a very critical time of year.

“Each and every single one of them is going to be impacted by this. They’re not going to be able to sell their crops that they’re out harvesting right now,” Larkin told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg.

“We’ve estimated that the impacts on grain farmers themselves is going to be around $50 million a day. That’s just a small drop in the bucket when you think of the total impacts on the entire Canadian economy.”

Even a one-week shutdown, Larkin said, will have at least a six-week impact, damaging Canada’s reputation on the international stage.

“There’s just simply no viable alternative. Of the millions of tonnes of grain that is transported on a daily basis by rail, we don’t have enough trucks, we don’t have enough truck drivers, to put out there to find an alternative to this.

“Without rail, food and grain isn’t going to be transported across Canada, it’s not going to be delivered to Canadians and it’s certainly not going to be delivered to our international markets.”