CN Rail laying off about 450 workers due to blockades

Photo: The Canadian Press

CN train cars sit idle during a rail blockade in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ont. on Monday, Feb.17, 2020, in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs opposed to the LNG pipeline in northern British Columbia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

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 an LNG pipeline in British Columbia.

The layoffs will affect operational staff, including employees working at Autoport in Eastern Passage, Moncton, Charny and Montreal.

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.