December 6, 2021 | Circular No. 11363

Dear Member,

You will find below the most recent updates on supply chain operations in British Columbia following the catastrophic flooding and mudslides that have occurred in the region over the last several weeks:

Rail:

  • The most notable development to report is the restoration of service on CN’s main line between Vancouver and Kamloops, which occurred yesterday. This has allowed for the resumption of multi-directional traffic, with eastbound trains running on CP’s line and westbound trains running on CN’s line.
  • Enhanced track inspections and maintenance activities are expected to continue for the foreseeable future, as is the imposition of speed restrictions in response to local conditions.

Highways:

  • Although highway conditions are gradually improving, the road network is expected to remain extremely fragile for the next several months, and the need to use alternate routes (including the movement of cargo between BC and Alberta via the US) will remain an important contingency for quite some time.
  • There is growing concern among some stakeholders that Canada’s vaccination mandate for truck drivers (which comes into effect on January 15, 2022) will have a negative impact on contingency routing and on trucking operations overall.

Ports:

  • The demand for anchorages at the Port of Vancouver remains very high.  As of today, there were 56 vessels at anchor, including 9 container vessels.
  • The port is doing preparatory work on a new 40 acre container storage site in the Richmond Area, which should be ready to accept some containers by January.
  • There are ongoing calls from Transport Canada and other authorities to increase use of the Port of Prince Rupert as a means of relieving pressure on the Vancouver gateway.

Pipeline:

  • The Trans Mountain Pipeline resumed operations yesterday, after a three-week precautionary shutdown prompted by the extreme weather. Despite this resumption, Emergency Management BC has indicated that the 30-litre limit on fuel will remain in place for the time being.

Other:

  • Although we continue to participate in the joint federal / provincial supply chain restoration working group, the frequency of this group’s calls has decreased from daily to several times per week.  The group’s most recent call took place this past Thursday, and its next call is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

We will continue to closely monitor all of the above and provide members with updates on a regular basis.

Sincerely,

Karen Kancens
Vice President