Eastern Ontario

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. says ships are expected to start moving this morning after it reached a tentative deal with Unifor to end a strike by workers that brought the system to a halt.

With soybean season coming to an end and corn coming to top of mind, one local farmer says the effects of the seaway strike will be trickling down across the region.

Eastern Ontario is home to many businesses involved in the agriculture sector. From growers and producers, to transport and processing, it’s a sector that generates tens of billions of dollars each year in Ontario.

The former managing editor of a recently shuttered Eastern Ontario newspaper is “cautiously optimistic” about ongoing efforts to bring the paper back to life. 

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. has applied to the Canada Industrial Relations Board for an exception on the transport of grain, a request that if granted would see the commodity flow through the artery despite the strike.

Business groups urged the federal government to intervene to void a lengthy labour dispute at the St. Lawrence Seaway amid concerns that a strike that began early Sunday could have a profound effect on their members.

The agriculture industry in Eastern Ontario could lose out on up to $62 million in soybean revenue this season if workers with the St. Lawrence Seaway Corp. strike, the general manager of the Port of Johnstown says. 

Unifor says workers at the St. Lawrence Seaway Corp. are ready to strike as of midnight Saturday.

These Eastern Ontario companies all have one thing in common: their revenues have grown substantially over the past three years, despite the backdrop of the pandemic and all its disruptions. 

The federal and provincial governments have finalized an agreement with global materials technology and recycling group Umicore to proceed with the construction of a new plant in Loyalist Township west of Kingston.