Dock employers in British Columbia shut out workers Nov. 4 after a union’s strike notice, bringing trade to a halt across Canada’s busiest and third-busiest ports.

Dock foremen and women in British Columbia issued a strike notice for Nov. 4, setting up a complete shutdown of Canada’s busiest port, a business group said.

“Just as mandates and regulations start to bite, the timing is not necessarily lining up very well, in that the purchase incentive support comes off,” GM Canada's president said. 

Grain workers at Canada’s largest port went on strike Sept. 24 over a dispute regarding hours and pay, creating what an industry association called a “devastating” situation for farmers.

Canadian businesses are warning about potential long-term damage to the economy if railway and port strikes go ahead and choke the country’s vital trading arteries.

British autonomous driving startup Wayve Technologies Ltd. is opening a research center in Vancouver, adding its second location in North America to accelerate its growth.

Inmarsat Group Holdings Ltd. says it has found a way to safely fly civil drones over long distances, a step that may help pave the way for mass adoption by industries from transportation to energy and infrastructure.