St. John's freight largely unaffected by Wet'suwet'en blockades, says mayor

The mayor of St. John's says the city hasn't been largely affected by rail blockades taking place across Canada, but the effects could be felt if protests continue.

Rail traffic across the country has been paralyzed as Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and their supporters have been blocking rail lines and roads in support of the demand to cancel a gas pipeline project on Wet'suwet'en traditional territory.

Mayor Danny Breen says the effect of halting freight train travel hasn't made its way to the island just yet.

"The impact has been somewhat minimal so far," he said.

"A lot of the goods that come into Newfoundland come in on boat or truck, so any goods that go by rail to Montreal or Halifax, then obviously they can't make it through to St. John's."

Breen said most store shelves are still full for now.

"They have distribution centres that, as I understand, are pretty well stocked," he said.

"If this goes on, you may see some issues occurring in the future, but right now it hasn't had a significant impact on the city."

Many cars are shipped by rail as far as Halifax, however, before being shipped to St. John's, Breen said, causing some issues for dealerships.

The mayor also said retailers may not have received some stock for the spring, but the city is keeping a close eye on the situation.

Peaceful resolution required

In a statement to CBC News Thursday, the premier's office said it is working with Ottawa and the other provinces to find a solution.

"The impacts that these blockades are having throughout Canada are significant and are changing day to day. Newfoundland and Labrador believes that a peaceful resolution is required," the statement read.

"Canada's premiers will discuss paths to a peaceful resolution and an end to the illegal blockades with Prime Minister Trudeau this evening."

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