CN Rail is not cutting service between Prince George and North Vancouver, as alleged Monday by the NDP, but is altering its freight operations between those two centres, said a company spokesman.
 
CN's Jim Feeny was reacting to charges by the NDP during question period that the company was slashing freight service between the cities by two-thirds.
 
NDP MLA Jenny Kwan raised the matter on the first day of the legislature's fall sitting, citing a letter from CN executive vice-president Dave Edison to union representatives in which he stated the company plans to reduce "road freight service on the Prince George to North Vancouver corridor from the present three trains per day to one train per day."
 
NDP Leader Carole James said the letter proves CN is cutting service as a result of taking over BC Rail in a transaction she contends has been highly secretive.
 
"Once again, with the BC Rail deal, we have to receive information through a letter," James said.
 
"This is about trust. This is about a government that's never open and honest with the public. Service is going to be reduced by two-thirds to the people in the North, to North Vancouver. We're going to see less service along that railway. We're going to see 113 jobs lost. The premier needs to come clean with the public in British Columbia."
 
Feeny, CN's senior manager of public affairs for Western Canada, said the NDP's claims are unfounded.
 
"We are not reducing service to customers between Vancouver and Prince George," he said in an interview from Edmonton.
 
"We are changing how we operate the trains, but there will be no reduction in the level of service. In fact, we strongly believe there will be an improvement in service."
 
Feeny said the letter to unions was a "material change" notice which the company is compelled to serve.
 
He added it simply follows the plan set forth when CN purchased BC Rail.
 
"This is nothing new," Feeny said.
 
"This is part of the process that we said back in November of 2003 that we would begin. We would change how we service customers on BC Rail. We would improve service, but we would change it. And that would have an effect upon employment."
 
Feeny said the planned move would result in the loss of 113 union jobs but added discussions with unions are still underway.
 
CN will cut its through trips, those from North Vancouver to Prince George or vice versa, from three each way per day to just one each way per day.
 
But the company plans to add "road switcher service at locations up and down the line," Feeny said.
 
"Instead of running all of our trains through those three segments, we're going to operate most of the trains within each segment and they'll pass traffic off, one to the other."
 
The result will be more efficiency, less staff required, and fewer employee overnight stays, he said, adding that all freight that now originates or terminates on the line can be handled this way.
 
Feeny conceded it will have an impact on employment.
 
But CN announced when it entered the transaction with the province that 430 jobs would be ultimately lost as a result of the "partnership agreement."
 
Dennis Byron, General Chairperson of the United Transportation Union Locals 1778 and 1923, said the letter from Edison took the unions by surprise.
 
The company earlier indicated that up to 80 engineers and conductors might lose their jobs.
 
"Now, that number is up to 150," said Byron.
 
"The jobs aside, the economic impact on all these communities that are borderline to begin with is huge. It's big, a lot bigger than we anticipated."
 
Byron said the job loss is magnified because it hits relatively few, and in some cases, small communities such as Quesnel, Williams Lake, Lillooet, Squamish, and North Vancouver.
 
In Lillooet alone, 13 of 18 conductors will lose their jobs, which paid $60,000 to $70,000 a year, Byron said.
 
The union is now trying to secure payouts for its members, but Byron said that it's not strictly a union issue.
 
"I don't like anybody losing work, union, management, or otherwise," he said.
 
"This just isn't a union thing, this is people, people being hurt."
 
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said CN is "sticking to exactly what they said they would do" in terms of the effect on jobs.
 
He said government is hearing anecdotally from shippers that they're pleased with what CN is doing and added CN's moves are ensuring that there will be room for "commercially viable passenger tourism service" on the line.
 
Author unknown.