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.

 

Upcoming Events

2024 Fall Member Forum

Pathways to Prosperity

Nov 21, 2024 – Nov 22, 2024
CPKC Headquarters/Westin Hotel, Calgary

Canada has many strengths—abundant natural resources, boundless sources of clean energy, and a highly educated workforce. However, the Canadian economy faces materially slower growth driven by its productivity problem. Over the past four decades,…

2025 Spring Member Forum

Apr 30, 2025 – May 1, 2025
Fairmont Hotel Macdonald/Government House, Edmonton

Program and registration details will be available in early 2025.

PAST SPEAKERS


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

  • Pedro Antunes, Chief Economist, Conference Board of Canada
  • Darrell Bricker, Chief Executive Officer, Ipsos Public Affairs
  • Hon. David Eby, Premier, Government of British Columbia
  • Louis-Vincent Gave, Founding Partner & CEO, Gavekal Research
  • Dr. Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Karen Harris, Managing Director, Macro Trends Group, Bain & Company
  • Robert D. Kaplan, Geopolitical expert and best-selling author
  • Hon. A. Anne McLellan, Co-Chair, Coalition for a Better Future
  • Heather Paddock, Region 4 Transportation Director, Colorado Department of Transportation
  • Marie-France Paquet, Chief Economist, Global Affairs Canada
  • Stephen Poloz, Special Advisor, Osler
  • David Rosenberg, Chief Economist and Strategist, Gluskin Sheff + Associates
  • Christian Sinclair, First Nation Financial Planner, Opaskwayak Cree Nation
  • Jim Stanford, Economist & Director, Centre for Future Work
  • Peter Tirschwell, Vice President, Maritime, Trade & Supply Chain, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Top left: Pedro Antunes, top right: Robert D. Kaplan, bottom left: Heather Paddock, bottom right: Peter Tirschwell

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

Serge Bijimine, ADM, Policy, Transport Canada

Dec 7, 2021
Vancouver

A roundtable was held with Transport Canada’s Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Serge Bijimine. The objective of this roundtable was to have a frank discussion about freight transportation in Canada, including current supply chain challenges,…

Hon. Rajan Sawhney, Government of Alberta

Nov 29, 2021
Edmonton

A roundtable dinner was held for the Hon. Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Transportation for the Government of Alberta. National members joined via Zoom to discuss the need for a concerted focus on resiliency, redundancy and recovery. Participants discussed…

Hon. Omar Alghabra, Government of Canada

Jul 16, 2021
Vancouver

This roundtable was an opportunity for Minister Alghabra to hear from a small group of freight transportation executives across the Western Canadian transportation industry. WESTAC members represent business, labour and government interests in shipping,…

2021 Spring Member Forum

Future in Focus: Understanding New Imperatives

Apr 30, 2021 – May 14, 2021
Online Event

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that no institution or individual alone can address the economic, environmental, social and technological challenges facing our complex world. The pandemic accelerated many of the systemic changes that were underway. As…