Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey reports it’s been two weeks since Omnitrax shut down grain shipments and port workers were officially laid off on Tuesday.  He says the Pallister government has not offered any solutions to save the 2016 shipping season or any support for workers and their families adding they have to assure the people of Churchill the province is actively working with the private sector, including the owner of the railway and port to see the grain elevators re-open this season.

Aside from the long-term concerns Lindsey says many workers also told him when he was in Churchill when the layoffs were first announced they fear they may not be eligible for unemployment assistance because their jobs at the port are seasonal.  He says he has written to the federal government urging them to take immediate action to waive eligibility requirements for employment insurance for workers at the port and on the rail line.  He also urged the provincial and federal governments to find a quick solution for the cutbacks in rail shipments to Churchill and Bayline communities.