Protest disrupts commuter trains to Toronto: Blockade update

Commuter trains heading to Canada’s financial capital were snarled by an indigenous protest on Tuesday, a day after police cleared a blockade east of Toronto that was taking a nationwide economic toll.

The new blockade went up Monday night near Hamilton, along the Chicago-to-Toronto corridor. It prompted the cancellation of at least three GO Transit trains in southwestern Ontario that connect commuters into Toronto, according a notice on the passenger carrier’s website.

The latest flare-up highlights the difficulty officials are facing in keeping rail traffic flowing in the sprawling, trade-dependent nation. The blockades had disrupted shipments of goods—including oil for export and propane needed for heating—for more than two weeks.

Established by an indigenous-rights group aligned with some Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chiefs in British Columbia who oppose a C$6.6 billion ($5 billion) TC Energy Corp. liquefied natural gas pipeline, the blockade represents a fresh challenge for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

Trudeau, who had been focused on dialog with the B.C. chiefs and allied Mohawk leaders blocking tracks along the key Montreal-to-Toronto corridor, ran out of patience on Friday. Ontario Provincial Police cleared the blockade in Tyendinaga, near Belleville, on Monday, enforcing an injunction obtained by Canadian National Railway Co. after protesters ignored a midnight Sunday deadline.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told reporters after police moved in he was concerned about the potential for blowback. Other top Trudeau officials stressed the need to restart talks with indigenous groups to prevent any further interruption of rail service.

The federal government worked behind the scenes during the crisis to arrange a track-sharing deal between CN and rival freight carrier Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., according a report Tuesday by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Via Rail Canada Inc., the main intercity passenger service, was forced to cancel nearly all of its trains because of the Tyendinaga and British Columbia protests. It said Monday nearly all routes would be operational again by Friday.