Resources

About 150 people met in Winnipeg for the annual Fields on Wheels conference on September 30 to hear the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders in the grain handling and transportation system and discuss the implications of the new wheat marketing regime. Legislation was introduced subsequently in the House of Commons on October 18, 2011.

The 6th Annual Canada Maritime Conference presented a panel on Key Performance Indicators Across the Supply Chain. There is an acknowledged and growing need for good data in the form of service quality parameters and measurable performance standards.

The Annual Meeting held April 5 and 6 in Winnipeg brought together industry experts to discuss commodity outlooks for Western Canada.

At the 11th Annual Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference in early March in Long Beach, CA, some 1700 delegates gathered to hear the state of container shipping and trade. Tan Hua Joo, Executive Consultant with Alphaliner, delivered an interesting presentation on the outlook for trans-Pacific container ship capacity.

WESTAC and the Global Institute of Logistics were pleased to welcome nearly 100 senior delegates to participate in Transportation Summit 2011: Best Practices Shaping Global Logistics. The Summit explored best practices and benchmarking in cargo supply chains from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia based on a series of thought panels. Two workshops were held on the Service Guarantee (Marca De Garantia) and the development and use of Container Terminal Quality Indicators.

There has been much debate about the impact of the Panama Canal expansion project on global trade patterns and on port traffic in North America. Some view the expansion will have a significant negative impact on West Coast ports in North America.

The Semi-Annual Meeting held October 19 and 20 in Calgary brought many Members and special guests together to discuss building supply chain competitiveness.

The Council seeks to provide members with opportunities to meet with leaders in some aspect of transportation. The Deputy Minister stated an interest to get out regularly to meet with stakeholders and maintain an open line of communications.

The Annual Meeting held April 29 & 30 in Regina again brought together excellent speakers, industry experts and ideas for the future. The meeting was well attended with over 60 members and guests participating. The overwhelming indication from speakers and members is that we are on the road to recovery but it may be bumpy. Demand for Canadian exports is rising, as is domestic demand. Traffic volumes are up significantly over the very poor levels of last year.

The Semi-Annual Meeting held November 5 & 6 in Vancouver offered a variety of perspectives and information to help members as we move forward into 2010. The meeting was well attended, with more than 60 members participating. This has been a year of extremes and some of the upsets and changes are permanent, altering how we do things in Western Canada.