The lockout across the B.C. waterfront has been lifted and operations are set to resume immediately. The BCMEA (British Columbia Maritime Employers’ Association) and ILWU–Canada have come to a tentative agreement which is subject to ratification. Negotiations resumed yesterday at noon, and after another round of discussions, a tentative agreement was reached earlier this morning. Yet to be released are the terms of the tentative agreement, which ended the less than three-hour lockout.

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the ILWU. We appreciate the efforts of both parties to focus on reaching agreement and ensuring BC Ports remain open for business. The lockout has been lifted and we look forward to getting operations back to normal. We would like to thank the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) and in particular, Peter Simpson and Kathy Peters,as well as the Minister of Labour, The Honourable Patty Hajdu for their assistance in this process. We are confident that this agreement, once signed, will secure a positive long-term outlook for trade and operations at our terminals, for the Province and for the country,” said Jeff Scott, Chair of the Board of BCMEA.