Rogers Sugar Inc. says it is pausing negotiations after the union representing striking workers at its Vancouver refinery rejected the company's latest offer.

Workers at the refinery have been on strike since Sept. 28 over issues like wages, benefits and the company's proposal to increase refinery operations to 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

The Rogers Sugar refinery in Vancouver is one of only three large sugar refineries in the country that processes imported cane sugar.

The strike has caused intermittent sugar shortages in Western Canada this fall. 

But the company says there is currently ample supply of white sugar in the market, and it has restarted production of brown sugar at the Vancouver refinery.

Rogers Sugar has been operating the Vancouver refinery at reduced capacity, and says it has enough raw sugar on site to continue to do so until May 2024.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2023.