Northern Ontario wildfires disrupt rail, forestry operations

Evacuations and heavy smoke have forced service cancellations, halted timber harvest and delayed freight traffic as companies monitor conditions

Wildfires in Northern Ontario have prompted evacuations, blocked rail traffic and halted forestry operations, as smoke blanketed much of the province and parts of the United States this week. There are 177 active wildland blazes in Ontario, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, prompting evacuation orders in several communities, such as Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation and Whitesand First Nation. While firefighters battle the blazes, conditions are being monitored and some services and businesses have been suspended.

Canadian National Railway’s freight network continues to be disrupted. The mainline north of Lake Superior has been closed since Monday and transcontinental freight trains are being rerouted. CN’s network allows it to move trains south of the Great Lakes through the U.S., but the railway declined to confirm that is its plan.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway’s operations are not affected by fires in Ontario or the more than 30 wildfires in B.C., but the Calgary-based railway is keeping a close watch on conditions and is in regular contact with provincial authorities, its spokesman Patrick Waldron said. The railway has deployed fire crews on rail cars to suppress or prevent the fires, which have been burning in some parts of Canada for several weeks, fed by hot, dry weather and winds. The crews use railcar-borne water to douse tracks, bridges and the surrounding area to prevent or put out flames.

The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System website said there are about 870 active fires across the country. In some areas, wildfires are increasingly common, spurred by climate change. Via Rail, which operates mainly on CN tracks, has cancelled service between Toronto and Winnipeg until July 19.

The passenger rail company said it is repositioning trains so it can continue service between Winnipeg and Vancouver. Via said affected passengers have received refunds. The recent heatwave has also forced Via to reduce speeds on the Toronto-Montreal route.

Domtar, one of the country’s largest lumber companies, suspended all harvesting and road building in northwestern Ontario because of the wildfires. The company’s two major sawmills in the region, in Thunder Bay and Atikokan, continued to operate and receive logs from independent suppliers. “At the request of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Domtar and its contractors are providing equipment to support firefighting efforts, including the construction of firebreaks and other response activities,” Guillaume Julien, Domtar’s senior director, public affairs, said in an e-mail.

Montreal-based Domtar has about 500 employees in northern Ontario and supports an additional 1,625 indirect jobs in the area through its sawmill, woodlands and pellet businesses. “We recognize the significant impact these wildfires are having on communities across the region, including Indigenous communities,” Mr. Julien said. “We remain in close contact with local partners and authorities and are prepared to provide support where our resources and capabilities can be helpful.”

The Port of Thunder Bay, which sees roughly 450 freighters come and go each shipping season, remained open on Thursday. However, the port’s executives warned commercial and recreational boaters to take care in navigating through wildfire smoke. CEO Chris Heikkinen said wildfires present a growing challenge to operations at the Thunder Bay port, a key terminal for shipments of grain, potash and other commodities.

“The port serves as a critical link between marine, rail, and trucking networks, and any wildfire-related impacts on regional transportation corridors have the potential to affect supply chains,” Mr. Heikkinen said. “Wildfire activity is becoming an increasingly important operational consideration for ports and transportation providers across Canada.” CN, meanwhile, said it is investigating an incident on Monday near Armstong, Ont., in which two trains were surrounded by wildfires.

A video shot from the cab of one locomotive stopped on a sidetrack surrounded by burning trees shows an oncoming train passing in the opposite direction. “This has gotten a little scary,” one unidentified train operator said on the video posted to social media. Ashley Michnowski, a CN spokeswoman, said the crew was taken to hospital for observation and were not hurt.

Other employees in the area were evacuated. “Our railroaders were faced with an extremely dangerous and challenging situation during the recent wildfires in Northern Ontario,” she said by e-mail. “We commend them for the courage and professionalism they demonstrated during such an horrific event.”

The Transportation Safety Board said it is aware of the crew’s close call and is gathering information. “It’s too early to say what the next step will be,” said Nic Defalco, a TSB spokesman. Don Ashley, national legislative director at Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents the CN workers, said no train is equipped to operate in such situations.

“It’s quite dangerous. They run on diesel fuel and they have huge tanks on the side of the engines,” he said by phone. “We don’t know why the decision was made to even have [two trains] meet there or even to have trains operating on that line when the wildfires are there.”

With files from Tim Kiladze