Rippling effects of B.C. port lockout could reach Calgary businesses

Some Calgary business owners are concerned that the waves from a labour dispute on the West Coast could delay their orders and chill the spirits of their customers.

On Monday, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 was set to begin limited job action — an overtime ban and a refusal to implement tech changes if an agreement was not reached.

Instead of pushing the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) closer to a deal, it pushed the association to impose a lockout to the more than 700 unionized workers at ports across the province, shutting down most shipping on the coast.

On Wednesday, the BCMEA said there had been no engagement with the union or federal mediators since it locked out workers.

According to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, about $800 million worth of shipping goods passes through West Coast ports each day.

Emma May, the founder and CEO of e-commerce fashion brand SophieGrace with showrooms in Calgary and Vancouver, could miss out on sales at a key time of year — around Black Friday and Christmas — when a rise in sales can help keep her business afloat in the quieter months.

She said a shipment of apparel arrived at the Port of Vancouver at the beginning of the week and has been stuck since then, unable to be offloaded.

"If we can't get [customers] their products, we're facing the possibility that people will seek returns from us and we're a small business, and that hurts," May said.

"When things like this, that you really can't control, start impacting you, it starts making you wonder, like, 'is this the best jurisdiction to be doing business in?'"

Brian Stephenson, owner of B-Pro Auto JDM Imports, said he's been taking calls and messages from customers who are anxious their cars could be among the shipments that will not make landfall. 

"I have some customers that order their vehicles from Japan and they want to pick them up in Vancouver — they may live in other provinces — so it kind of puts their travel plans in limbo," said Stephenson.

And, if the cars are brought into Vancouver, how will backed-up queues affect the time it takes to process them?

"Unfortunately, I have to say, I don't know."

Stephenson said that, in his 14 years of bringing in vehicles, labour disputes have typically been resolved quickly. He's hoping this lockout follows that trend, and is optimistic it will. But he said port workers ought to be considered an essential service.