Customer Advisory: CP Canadian Network shutdown plan finalized for 0001 May 23, commuter trains will operate.

CP and the TCRC continue to meet with the assistance of the federal conciliation and mediation service in Ottawa. Talks are scheduled into the evening hours.

The Minister of Labour has requested that commuter service continue to operate without disruption in the metropolitan areas of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. As a gesture of goodwill by CP and to further progress negotiations, CP will be honoring this service request using unionized employees.

At this time union will be withdrawing its services to operate freight and passenger trains in Canada. As such, CP is enacting the detailed plan for a safe and structured shut down of freight and passenger train operations on its Canadian network for 0001 on Wednesday May 23, 2012 (midnight tonight).
An embargo application for shipments routing to and from CP Canadian locations has been initiated. This embargo applies to:
• All shipments originating in Canada which are billed to any Canadian or US destinations
• All shipments originating in the United States which are billed to any Canadian destinations

The embargo will be in effect at 0001, Wednesday May 23, 2012 and can be rescinded at any time.

CP remains willing to participate in binding arbitration or negotiation period extensions. Both of these require consent of the union or action of the government and would allow CP to continue operating all Canadian rail traffic without disruption.