CN Rail is laying off about 450 workers in its operations in Eastern Canada after cancelling more than 400 trains in the past week over a rail blockade protesting a pipeline in British Columbia.
The Montreal-based railway says the situation is regrettable because the impact on the economy and its employees from the protests is unrelated to CN’s activities and “beyond its control”.
CN said the shutdown is “progressive and methodical” to ensure it can be restarted when the blockades end completely.
Coastal GasLink signed agreements with 20 elected band councils along the pipeline route, including the Wet’suwet’en First Nation’s council.
But Wet’suwet’en’s hereditary chiefs are opposed to the project and say the council does not have authority over the relevant land.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister and other politicians clashed last night at an emergency House of Commons meeting over the rail blockades.
