May 08, 2024 | Category: News Releases

Victoria, British Columbia—WESTAC members gathered in Victoria for the annual Spring Member Forum with the theme Managing Through Collective Challenges & Opportunities.

Two keynote addresses bookended the forum. The day started with Peter Tirschwell, Vice President, Maritime, Trade & Supply Chain at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Peter noted that Western Canada’s geographic location gives it a competitive advantage in terms of faster transit times, allowing it to market a premium service in demand. To effectively market these services and Canadian products, it's crucial to restore trust and credibility in Canadian transportation by demonstrating consistency and reliability.

Members’ panels on Shipper, Port & Terminal and Carrier views were an excellent way for attendees to hear from the different stakeholders who make up our supply chain. It was interesting to learn about the wide-ranging activities that member organizations are involved with, including trade missions, technological advancements, infrastructure project completions, and expanding operations. WESTAC members also shared insights on how ongoing collective challenges disrupting trade routes are expected to impact their respective sectors and operations.

WESTAC was also honoured to have Premier David Eby provide the closing keynote address. The Premier spoke about several topics, including trade, economics, and climate challenges facing British Columbia, including the importance of efficient supply chains and the opportunities for BC to export low-carbon goods due to its low-cost, zero-emission electricity.

“Our job as government is to make sure you’re able to work as efficiently as possible to keep people, goods and our economy moving, as B.C. continues to lead in economic growth amongst the large provinces since 2017,” said Premier David Eby. “We are committed to your success, which means strengthening vital transportation corridors and continuing to make B.C. a great place to live, work and do business.”

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About WESTAC:
The Western Transportation Advisory Council (WESTAC) is a council of organizations in the transportation sector represented by senior decision-makers. WESTAC’s members span all aspects of freight transportation in Canada. They include carriers and logistics providers, ports and terminals, shippers, labour unions, and the three levels of government. Members represent a significant share of the Western Canadian economy. We focus on critical issues that affect Western Canada’s freight transportation network to ensure that it is safe, efficient, reliable, and competitive.

For more information, please contact:
Marzia Rizvi
Manager, Program Development & Communications
mrizvi@westac.com