25 March 2008
CP Dismisses Wheat Board Gouging Allegation
Canadian Pacific Railway is quick to denounce a Canadian Wheat
Board-led study that suggests the country's major railways are "gouging" grain farmers.
The wheat board and other farm groups insist CP and Canadian National Railway (CN) are charging millions more than they should be for
farmers to get their product to market.
They say the railways are capitalizing on the fact that a lot of grain elevators have disappeared over the years leaving farmers to
ship the grain by rail.
Those groups now want Ottawa to review rates.
But, CP finds this puzzling.
The company's Breanne Feigel says grain should be treated as any other commodity, noting that grain prices have been rising rapidly
while so too have costs for the railways.
She adds CP finds it interesting that the wheat board is pointing to rail costs as a plank to get a break for farmers, when fuel and
fertilizer rates have risen more sharply than rail rates.
|
