Rail Protests Continue to Affect Canada's Economy

Feb 21, 2020

Meanwhile, business groups including the President of Maple Leaf Foods, are calling on the government to take firm action and restore Canada's rail service. Curtis Frank says Maple Leaf is dependent on timely transport of its perishable products.

"The $1 billion of Maple Leafs annual revenue is subject to the timely movement of perishable product through Canada's rail network in some way. You may be wondering how many people rely on these goods. The answer is thousands. Thousands of jobs and over a billion in sales and the taxes we pay to our government are impacted by this rail disruption,"

Frank says Maple Leaf has tried to use alternatives such as trucking but many routes are already overwhelmed and costs are escalating.

He says the spot market for trucking between Winnipeg and Vancouver, for example, has nearly doubled since the blockade started.

Agriculture is also being impacted by the blockades. Mary Robinson, the president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says backed up rail lines will have huge financial consequences as farmers don't get paid until products get to market.

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Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.