Maritime employers say US port workers refusing to handle containers rerouted from Vancouver is “damaging the reliability and competitiveness” of ports along the coast. The BC port worker strike has entered its 11th day, and while another round of bargaining was held over the weekend, no deal has been reached and it’s unclear if or when more talks are planned. About 74-hundred members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada have been on strike since July 1st, idling all cargo handling at the Port of Vancouver — Canada’s busiest harbour. Jurisdiction over maintenance, as well as improved wages and language to prevent contracting out and automation are key issues in the dispute.
Employees at a lodge housing workers for LNG Canada’s gas facility in Kitimat have authorized strike action, potentially disrupting construction of the massive project. The unions representing workers at the Cedar Valley Lodge in Kitimat on the central B-C coast say members were 97 per cent in favour of strike action. The 450 lodge workers who voted for strike action are employed by Sodexo, which offers hospitality, food and maintenance services at the lodge. LNG Canada says in a statement that it is not part of the negotiations between the unions and Sodexo, but is “hopeful” the two sides will reach a “mutually satisfactory solution.”
The CEO of the LNG Canada export facility in British Columbia says price and supply volatility worldwide since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows the value of his company’s project as a source of “affordable, reliable” and “responsibly produced” liquefied natural gas. Jason Klein told the LNG 2023 conference in Vancouver that the project is close to 85-per-cent complete and will aim to compete globally, not only on price but also its environmental and social track record. First Nations LNG Alliance chair Crystal Smith says LNG Canada was a gamechanger for First Nations involvement, and more similar co-operations are on the way with projects such as the planned Cedar LNG facility in Kitimat. Canadian conference organizers say First Nations economic reconciliation is a major part of what it wants to present to the global natural gas industry.
Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma is urging B-C residents to take shorter showers and find other ways to conserve water as officials monitor worsening drought conditions in the province. The ministry says half of the 34 water basins across B-C have already reached Level 4 on the province’s drought classification system, which means adverse effects are “likely” and that regulatory actions such as watering restrictions are “possible.” Level 5 is the maximum drought classification under the system. The drought has also caused the tinder-dry conditions that have led to a record-breaking wildfire season in the province, which has also prompted a campfire ban for every area of BC except Haida Gwaii.
Mounties in Surrey say two men have been arrested for allegedly breaking into a home, assaulting two people and stealing personal items as well as a six-month-old puppy. They say two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the home invasion, which happened just before midnight on June 27th. Police are now asking for the public’s help in finding the miniature pinscher and Shih Tzu cross named Lil Bit, who was last seen wearing a black studded collar. The RCMP say the men, who are 49 and 37-years-old, are now facing charges including aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.
BC’s minister of arts and culture has joined other Canadian officials urging Taylor Swift to consider adding Canadian stops for her international Eras tour. Lana Popham took to Twitter to extend an invitation to the singer, suggesting she make a stop in Vancouver to play at BC Place. This came after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a similar message to Swift last week using her own lyrics to encourage her to rethink the decision not to include Canadian dates. The Eras tour, which began in the U-S in March, is billed as an homage to all of Swift’s studio albums and currently has 131 planned performances across the world.