New Illegal Blockades in Vaughan and Vancouver, CN Concerned About Safety

MONTREAL, Feb. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) announced that there have been new blockades on its network today, one in Vancouver, B.C., and two in Vaughan, ON. CN has sought and obtained court orders and requested the assistance of enforcement agencies to end these illegal blockades. While both of the illegal blockades in Vaughan have ended and the other one in Vancouver may come to an end shortly, CN has deep concerns regarding the safety of its employees, the public, and the protestors.

“In Vaughan, protesters put their personal safety at risk by climbing on and between railcars,” said JJ Ruest, president and chief executive officer at CN. ‘’The protesters trespassed on active railway tracks and on active trains to hang their banners and take photos of themselves. Trespassing on railway property and tampering with railway equipment is not only illegal, but also exceedingly dangerous. A train can arrive or a railcar can move at any time. A serious and even fatal incident could be the outcome. Safety is a core value at CN and every time a breach like this occurs, we send railway experts to inspect the track and equipment for the safety of our employees and the public, which further slows the movement of goods.”

The illegal blockade of CN tracks at Tyendiaga, ON continues into its 9^th day. To this day, the orders of the court have yet to be enforced and continue to be ignored by protesters. The shutdown of CN’s Eastern Canadian network will continue until the illegal blockades end, affecting both freight and passenger trains.

“Unfortunately, service to VIA Rail and Amtrak has been discontinued across Canada. It is unsafe to allow passenger trains to start trips across our network when we have no control over where, when, or how an illegal blockade may occur. It would be irresponsible to allow the travelling public to be trapped in a blockade,” concluded Ruest.

CN is a true backbone of the economy transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries – serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the company’s website at .