Battlefords producers impacted by B.C. floods

That affects his bottom line since he needs to sell his canola to have the cash flow to pay his bills. Otherwise, he will deal with interest charges.

He said he was advised by the elevator it might be able to accept his canola next week, so he is hopeful the situation improves.

“You just have to wait it out I guess. When [we] haul the grain in, I’ll pay my bills,” Smith said. “It’s frustrating.”

Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie said in a text to battlefordsNOW that his thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the environmental event in B.C.

“It has the potential to impact not only our local producers but also all of us in the Battlefords,” he said. “Unless they are able to build temporary roadways and railways, we will see impacts to grain movement west bound.”

Leslie noted that many produce and grocery items travel via semi-tractor-trailers from the west coast.

“This has the potential to cause empty shelves or even worse, price increases,” he said. “This is the last thing our already backlogged logistical system needed right now.”

Rail outages

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement the province is keeping a close eye on the situation in B.C.

“This week’s severe weather disruptions have stopped rail and truck traffic in southern British Columbia,” the province said. “We will work closely with industry and government partners to monitor the situation and provide information and support to the supply lines wherever we can to assist, recognizing the vital importance of an effective transportation system.”

The statement said B.C.’s transportation minister addressed the transportation shut-down this week, indicating that they will coordinate their resources with transportation providers to assess and open supply lines as soon as possible.

As well, the statement indicated the province of Saskatchewan “will provide information and support to affected supply lines wherever we can assist as the situation becomes clearer.”

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture added that both CP Rail and CN Rail have multiple outages on lines to Vancouver; trains have been discontinued and no restart timeline has been indicated until further assessments are carried out.

“While the impact on bulk grain movement to Vancouver will be limited because of the short crop in 2021, there will be a significant impact on container movement which is already congested,” the statement said.

Co-op stores managing for now

Cam Zimmer, director of communications and public relations for the Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) based in Saskatoon, said there are no immediate delays anticipated for basic goods for the Co-op stores in the Battlefords area related to the B.C. situation.

“For the Co-op right now, we are currently focused on ensuring the supply of essential goods and services to the communities in B.C. that are being immediately impacted by the flooding there,” he told battlefordsNOW. “It’s definitely a rapidly developing situation. We’re doing our best to ensure that all Co-ops in their communities in Western Canada keep receiving essential goods.”

Zimmer said currently there aren’t any major stalls for shipments of essential goods for Co-ops outside of B.C.

“There have been some temporary delays due to the snow and weather conditions on the highways across the prairies right now,” he said. “But those are fairly isolated and they are only for short periods of time. There is no long-term supply concerns right now on the prairies.”

Zimmer added that the way the Federated Co-operatives Ltd. distributes to most Co-op stores and outlets is through distribution centres that are in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.

“There isn’t a lot of direct shipments from Vancouver,” he said. “So in that respect we are in the clear on most goods. And of course fuel comes through our refinery in Regina primarily.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

Battlefords producers impacted by B.C. floods

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