Via Rail is temporarily laying off almost one third of its employees in light of the rail blockades. On Wednesday, it started sending temporary suspension notices to nearly 1,000 employees. The passenger rail operator employs 3,115 people nationwide.
Via Rail, which operates on Canadian National Railway’s tracks, said Wednesday it began notifying employees of the temporary layoffs in light of the prolonged cancellations. Since the blockades began on Feb. 6, Via Rail has cancelled more than 470 trains, affecting nearly 100,000 passengers.
“This general interruption is an unprecedented situation in our history.
In 42 years of existence, it is the first time that VIA Rail, a public intercity passenger rail service, has to interrupt most of its services across the country,” Via Rail’s chief executive Cynthia Garneau said in a statement.
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