The official launch event for the Smart Freight Centre (SFC) was held on the morning of Thursday, April 18. The SFC is a collaboration between McMaster University, the University of Toronto, York University, and the Region of Peel that will work to reduce the community and environmental impacts of goods movement. Several of the ITE York University Student Chapter (ITE YorkU) members are involved in SFC research and were in attendance at the event.

"Freight transportation plays a significant role in the development of modern civilization," says Tanvir Chowdhury, President-Elect of the ITE YorkU. "The transportation students at York University are excited to work on real-world challenges with the Smart Freight Centre and positively impact Canada’s most active goods movement hub".

The ITE YorkU members in attendance with Tanvir included Ravichandra Rampure, Treasurer; Crystal Wang, Social Director; and Soha Saiyed, Vice President-Elect. York University is looking at topics such as truck-friendly corridor management, truck signal optimization, and the impacts of truck platooning/connected autonomous vehicles as part of it's research for the SFC.

Dr. Peter Park is the supervisor for these students and is the chair of the SFC Scientific Advisory Committee. He attended the event alongside ITE YorkU faculty advisor Dr. Kevin Gingerich, Dr. Dan Palermo, Dr. Pulin Mondal, Dr. Regina Lee, and Dr. Paulina Karwowska-Desaulniers.

Guest speakers at this launch event included York University alumni MP Kamal Khera, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development; Peel Regional Chair Nando Iannicca; Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown; Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson; and Dr. Rhonda Lenton, President and Vice-Chancellor of York University.

Also involved in the SFC is Erik Nevland, the founding president of ITE YorkU. Nevland now works for the Region of Peel as a Transportation Planner. "Goods movement is an important challenge that requires significant collaboration between universities, all levels of government, and the private sector. The Region of Peel looks forward to working with talented future planners and engineers from the three universities to ensure the safe and efficient movement of goods, maximized economic vibrancy for local businesses, and improved quality of life for our residents," says Nevland.

The SFC is looking to partner with other industry and government entities to continue the facilitation of goods movement research. For more information or to get involved, please visit smartfreightcentre.ca.