Canada Trade and Shipping: The Path Forward
Partner (s):
The surge of Asian imports and the wake of its disruption that tested marine terminals to inland hubs is over. That’s shifting the spotlight to how stakeholders are investing in Canadian infrastructure and improving operations to address pinch points, lest they become bottlenecks when there’s a cargo surge or major weather disruption. Acknowledging the need for government to do more, Ottawa is rethinking the nation’s port structure and how to best support cargo flows inland. If the last seven years have been a guide, however, then Canadian shippers and transportation providers know not to count on federal intervention if port workers and employers don’t have productive contract talks on both coasts. This webcast will give shippers and their transportation partners an update on major port and inland freight infrastructure projects while highlighting innovation and persistent challenges across containerized supply chains. Among the topics for discussion:
• Western Winds: The coming year will be critical for key infrastructure projects to boost capacity at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert. While the surges caused by Asia import pressures ease and rail performance improves in the spring, port, terminal, and dray speakers will assess cargo flow conditions at the docks and inland hubs, and the lingering kinks and bottlenecks in the system.
Speaker(s):
Michael Inman, Director, Business Development, Port of Prince Rupert Girish Nair, Vice President, International Intermodal, CN Peter Xotta, Vice President, Operations and Supply Chain, Port of Vancouver
• Spotlight on Ottawa: Canada is giving its port system the first major rethink in more than two decades after disruption tied to the COVID-19 pandemic exposed its fragility. Ports, railroads, marine terminals, and other stakeholders are weighing in what they want to come out of Ottawa. Through the Ports Modernization Act, launched in 2018, stakeholders are addressing a number of issues, from scarcity of land near some ports to the potential for new technologies to speed cargo flow.
Speaker (s):
Debbie Murray, Senior Director, Association of Canadian Port Authorities Julia Kuzeljevich, Director, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA)
• Eastern Winds: Canadian ports on the East Coast are expanding capacity to handle actual and anticipated volume growth, with Montreal notably pushing for a new container terminal. Halifax, which handled record volume of more than 600,000 TEU last year, will receive new cranes and yard handling equipment, while new investment is helping Saint John attract more cargo.
Speaker (s):
Paul Bird, Vice-President, Contrecoeur, Montreal Port Authority Jordan Kajfasz, Assistant Vice President, Sales and Marketing, CPKC Sam Zhang, Director, Trade, Port of Halifax
Moderator: Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor, Journal of Commerce, S&P Global *Check back soon for more information! Interested in sponsoring this webcast? For more information, please visit https://subscribe.joc.com/mediasolutions/