BC economy benefiting from US port dispute

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – BC’s economy is reaping the benefits of an ongoing labour dispute with US port workers from Bellingham to California.

Retailers have been re-routing shipments to Vancouver and that means more hours for workers here.

In terms of jobs and handling cargo, the dispute south of the border has generated some incremental opportunities for us according to Peter Xotta with Port Metro Vancouver.

“It does create some challenges if it’s not predictable so on balance, yes, it will generate some additional work for the folks on the docks and the railways to handle the cargo.”

But he says everyone was well prepared.

“We’re in good shape today, we hope to manage and protect the long standing customers and the Canadian cargo that are long term users of the gateway. And we know that terminals and railways are making decisions to take incremental cargo only when they feel they can handle it and deliver a consistent level of service.”

Retailers have been pleading with west coast ports to come to an agreement before the busy holiday season. For now, many have re-routed. “Retailers and and other shippers don’t like uncertainty so they look to mitigate that risk by creating and establishing alternative routes. So the kinds of challenges the US is facing today through their ongoing labour negotiations are the kinds of things that from a port perspective you try and avoid.”

He says it’s better for everyone to have stable volumes so that the supply chain doesn’t get out of balance.

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