Cargo companies start to reroute away from Montreal amid fears of port strike – Montreal [Video]

Delmar International, a Quebec-based logistics firm that counts 1,500 employees across 17 countries, said all Montreal-bound freight will now flow through the Port of Halifax in a pre-emptive move to curtail fallout from possible job action.

“While uncertainties persist at the Port of Montreal, Delmar International will reroute all East Coast Montreal-bound cargo via Halifax to limit any negative impact of a potential work stoppage until further notice,” the company told customers in a post last week.

Earlier this month, the Canada Industrial Relations Board dismissed a request from Montreal port employers to require employees to work during a strike, opening the gate to a job action or lockout after a six-month freeze while the ask was under consideration. That freeze ended with the board’s decision on March 14.

On Friday, the Maritime Employers Association followed up with a complaint to the labour board that called on it to rekindle …