events

WESTAC brings together transportation leaders at a variety of events throughout the year.

  • Member Forums: WESTAC’s signature event is its bi-annual Member Forum, a one- to two-day member-only event offering in-camera presentations and discussions about topical issues. Featuring high-profile speakers, they allow for the lively exchange of ideas and opinions and provide opportunities for informal meetings between senior industry representatives and decision-makers.
  • Roundtables: WESTAC regularly hosts member-only roundtables for newly appointed Ministers of Transportation from across the region. The Council is called upon to convene and facilitate seminars and workshops on specific issues impacting transportation across Western Canada.
  • Conferences: Periodically, WESTAC hosts high-quality larger conferences that are open to the wider transportation community.


Upcoming Events


2021 Fall Member Forum

A Legacy in the Making: The Impact of Critical Decisions on Canadian Prosperity

Dec 8, 2021 – Dec 9, 2021
Westin Bayshore, Vancouver

Decisions of today will dictate our future. They should be guided not only by what we know but shaped by the risks we anticipate and the future we desire. The 2021 Fall Member Forum seeks to bring insights into the economic and tectonic forces shaping our future and encourage dialogue on creating a sustainable transportation trade network.

We know the value of investing in good infrastructure—it creates economic benefits and jobs. But, beyond the numbers, infrastructure is critical to the health and well-being of the country. Canada could not function without the roads, bridges, sewers, and clean water paid for by previous generations.

Over the past decade, weather events have cost the world nearly $2 trillion and impacted almost four billion people. The frequency and severity of these events will only continue to increase due to climate change. Therefore, the need to build climate-resilient infrastructure through risk-informed decision-making has never been more acute.

Our future resilience will depend on our innovative investments, risk-reduction planning, mitigation strategies, the strength of our cybersecurity, and how we manage resource scarcity, inequity, and extreme weather events.

The 2021 Fall Member Forum is planned to be the first in-person Forum in two years. It builds upon the 2021 Spring Member Forum and will delve more deeply into resiliency from two aspects: ensuring infrastructure is resilient from climate change and cyber risks.

The Forum will also provide the opportunity to hear from members on developments affecting the transport of Canada’s exports and imports. What are the headwinds now facing the industry? How can we improve our competitiveness?

2022 Spring Member Forum

Apr 21, 2022 – Apr 22, 2022
Hotel Saskatchewan, Regina

Program and registration details will be available in early 2022.

PAST SPEAKERS

WESTAC hosts thought-leaders and expert speakers at its annual forums. Below is a small selection of speakers.

  • David Bach, Deputy Dean & Professor in the Practice of Management, Yale School of Management
  • Nikolas Badminton, Futurist
  • Pieter Bottelier, former Chief of World Bank office in Beijing and former Professor, China Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
  • Brian Lee Crowley, Managing Director, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Dr. Linda Duxbury, Professor, Sprott School of Business
  • Hon. David Emerson, Chair of Canada Transportation Act Review, former Federal Minister
  • Martin Ford, Futurist, New York Times Bestselling Author, Keynote Speaker and Silicon Valley Entrepreneur
  • Dr. George Friedman, Founder & Chairman, Geopolitical Futures
  • Dr. Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Peter Hall, Vice President & Chief Economist, Export Development Canada
  • Buzz Hargrove, Former President of the CAW, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University's Ted Rogers School of Management
  • Patricia Mohr, ‎Vice-President, Economics & Commodity Market Specialist, The Scotiabank Group
  • David Rosenberg, Chief Economist & Strategist, Gluskin Sheff + Associates
  • Stijn Rubens, Senior Advisor, Drewry Supply Chain Advisors
  • A. Gary Shilling, Forbes and Bloomberg columnist
  • Dr. Laurence C. Smith, Chair of Geography and Professor of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA and author of the World in 2050
     

Top left: Nikolas Badminton, top right: Dr. George Friedman, bottom left: David Rosenberg, bottom right: Martin Ford

PAST EVENTS

WESTAC addresses timely, strategic transportation issues through its Member Forums, roundtables and industry conferences. Follow the link below to see a full list of past events or browse through the most recent events listed below.

SEE PHOTOS FROM PAST EVENTS

Women in Transportation: A WESTAC and APGST Roundtable

Women in Transportation: A WESTAC and APGST Roundtable

Mar 14, 2017
Vancouver, BC

WESTAC is bringing together stakeholders for a conversation on engaging women in leadership roles within the transportation industry. The roundtable is hosted by the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table and organized by WESTAC. A report synthesizing the experiences of over 30 women in the sector will be made available prior to the roundtable. Registration is complimentary and by invitation only. 

21st Annual Fields on Wheels Conference

Grain Complexity: Grow it, Move it and Trade it!

Oct 21, 2016
Winnipeg, MB

For 20 years the Fields on Wheels conferences have presented expert speakers, expanding the knowledge base and fostering discussion on developing trends and changes in the grain supply chain.

2016 Fall Member Forum

Exceptional Speaker Series

Oct 13, 2016 – Oct 14, 2016
Vancouver, BC

As organizations head into the new year, certain factors are bound to have a substantial bearing on the global economy and cascading impacts for transportation and trade in Western Canada.

Hon. Blaine Pedersen Roundtable, Manitoba

Welcome roundtable for new Manitoba Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Blaine Pedersen

Sep 6, 2016
Winnipeg, MB

Stakeholders briefed the Minister on issues and opportunities in the Western Canadian transportation system, with a focus on Manitoba.

Pacific Gateway Alliance Grain Workshop

Exporting Grain Through West Coast Ports

May 27, 2016
Regina, SK

This workshop was a follow up to the New West Partnership Transportation Summit that was held in Regina, Saskatchewan, in November 2014. The purpose of the Summit was to explore ways to improve the long-term efficiency, reliability, and competitiveness of western Canada’s transportation system. At the Summit it was decided that the Pacific Gateway Alliance (PGA) will lead this work. The PGA is a unique partnership of transportation industries and the governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.

2016 Spring Member Forum

What's Next for Infrastructure? Planning & Investing for the Future

May 3, 2016 – May 4, 2016
Edmonton, AB

Western Canada’s transportation infrastructure can and must support Canada’s trade objectives and continue to move products safely, efficiently and competitively.

West Coast Marine Roundtable

Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Capacity

Apr 8, 2016
Vancouver, BC

WESTAC is bringing together transportation and other interested leaders for a conversation on the current status of the West Coast marine spill prevention, preparedness and response regime.

20th Annual Fields on Wheels Conference

Grain Exports to 2035: Is Western Canada Ready?

Dec 2, 2015
Winnipeg, MB

(presented by University of Manitoba Transport Institute & WESTAC)

The world demand for Canadian grain could look very different two decades from now.

2015 Fall Member Forum

Unlocking Capacity: Optimizing Western Canada's Transportation Network

Nov 9, 2015 – Nov 10, 2015
Calgary, AB

Any discussion on transportation system capacity in Western Canada requires an understanding of the outlook for the commodities that drive the demand for freight service.

2015 Spring Member Forum

Geopolitics & Trade: Shifting Markets – Impacts on Western Canada's Economy & Transportation Network

Apr 29, 2015 – Apr 30, 2015
Victoria, BC

Given current unsettling and dramatic changes in the world economy, this forum will seek to build better understanding of the larger geopolitical and global economic trends impacting trade.