BC Cargo Flow Should Be Back to Normal in Days After Port Strike, Says Researcher

Stacks of cargo containers are seen at port during a strike by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada workers in the province of British Columbia, causing significant harm to small businesses across Canada, in Vancouver on July 12, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

A logistics researcher says it should take only days for cargo flow to return to pre-strike levels at B.C. ports after a 13-day work stoppage ended with a tentative deal.

But Simon Fraser University Prof. Peter V. Hall says the port employers need to work with the union on significant long-term “structural changes” such as training to deal with the onset of automation.