BC Ports Shuttered as Lockout Takes Hold in Latest Labour Dispute

A seaplane prepares to land on the harbour as a cargo ship is guided by tugboats from a berth at port, in Vancouver, on July 16, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

One of Canada’s most vital trade arteries is cut off as employers at most of British Columbia’s ports lock out their workers in a dispute involving about 700 unionized foremen.

The BC Maritime Employers Association says it defensively locked out members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 after the union began strike activity yesterday.