Market Place Commodities President Jim Beusekom said the Port of Vancouver strike has crushed the export side of his business. The strike has brought Market Place Commodities’ export side from 100% to 0%. “That’s not an exaggeration,” said Beusekom in a Thursday interview with the Western Standard.“We can’t ship it.”International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 foreworkers began limited strike actions on Monday at 8 a.m., and the BC Maritime Employers Association locked out its workers at 4:30 p.m.Industries and provincial governments across Canada have said they are concerned about the dispute, which is happening at the same time as a partial strike blocks 40% of container traffic to the Port of Montreal.Some of the commodities affected by the strike are potash, coal, pulse crops, beef, pork and forestry products. The ports are involved in importing parts for Canadian manufacturers from Asian and European suppliers.Beusekom said Market Place Commodities ships grains and pulse crops out of Canada and has been shut down as of Monday because of the strike. In response, he said it cannot get its crops onto containers to head overseas. While four days is not a huge problem, Beusekom said it could turn into a larger one if the strike lasts longer. He added it will not take much longer for the situation to worsen. Although certain products continue to move, he said Market Place Commodities’ products do not make the cut. He said he wants the Port of Vancouver to open up, as it is impacting it, the farmers it buys products from, and its overseas customers. Long term, he said the port will open up again, but it will take time to catch up. He noted Canada recently dealt with the CP Rail strike and another Port of Vancouver strike. Because all of these disruptions, he noted they “affect our reliability as a supplier, Canada’s reliability as an exporter of ag commodities, and it affects our reputation across the world.” He said these disruptions need to stop and cannot pop up again in three to six months. He pointed out exports need to go out in a timely manner to benefit the exporters, farmers producing them, and the people who eat them. Certain products are going out because they are in bulk vessels.Meanwhile, he said it affects buyers who are buying containers, as they are not going out. This means buyers who have bought products from companies that use containers such as Market Place Commodities will not receive them, so they might have to switch to bulk vessels. Of course, he said he wants the strike to be over soon. However, he said he does not know when it will be ending. Beusekom concluded by saying Market Place Commodities needs to sell these products. He said the strike affects companies such as it, the buyers, and the sellers. “It’s not like nothing can move, but these products that go by container, suppliers not going to receive them if this strikes continues," he said. Former labour minister Seamus O'Regan announced in 2023 cabinet was anticipating the official approval of an agreement to end the 13-day strike at British Columbia ports..Port workers vote on contract, ending 13-day strike.O’Regan said there would not be another strike.“I feel very confident in the deal, but right now, it’s up to the membership,” said O’Regan.
