Workers end grain terminal strike at busy Vancouver port

Grain terminal workers at the port of Vancouver on Saturday ended a four-day strike that had halted shipments of about half of Canada's grain exports during the peak autumn shipping season, their labor union said.

The Grain Workers Union, which represents 650 workers at six Vancouver grain terminals -- including those owned by Cargill, Richardson International and Viterra -- announced late Friday that employees would return to work Saturday after reaching a tentative agreement with their employer, the Vancouver Terminal Elevator Association.

Workers are slated to vote on the deal on October 4.

Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon confirmed that a "tentative agreement to get Canada's harvest to market" had been reached.

"Thanks to the parties for putting in the work necessary to get a deal done, and to federal mediators for their support," he said on X.

The strike began on Tuesday, halting bulk shipments of canola, wheat, barley, oats and specialty crops.

Last year, 52 percent of all grain produced in Canada passed through the Pacific coast port.

The Grain Growers of Canada, an association representing 65,000 farmers, had urged the government to intervene to bring an end to the strike, which it said risked having a "devastating impact on grain farmers."

Nearly 100,000 metric tons of Canadian grain arrive at these terminals each day, the association said in a statement, and a shutdown would entail a loss of Can$35 million (US$26 million) in potential exports daily.