Saskatchewan’s energy and resources minister says the federal government should act swiftly to prevent another railway backlog like the one that has plagued the province’s farmers and potash producers this year.
Ottawa should not only pass Bill C-49 — new legislation aimed at improving rail service — but ensure the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline System to B.C. is built, Bronwyn Eyre said Monday in an interview.
“If those two factors were resolved, the railway would be more free and more product could move. It’s getting to a point where we have too many of these existential crises (for) too many sectors,” Eyre said.
Saskatchewan farmers have been ringing alarm bells about the possibility of a major grain backlog, like the one estimated to have cost western farmers $6.5 billion four years ago, since before Christmas.
Last week, Nutrien Ltd. — the world’s largest potash miner — blamed poor performance from the railways for its decision to issue 610 temporary pink slips at two mines near Saskatoon — a charge the railways dispute.
The Saskatchewan Mining Association is also worried. The organization representing the province’s mining companies said Monday in a news release any failure to get products to market risks Saskatchewan jobs.
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