The 2019 Smart Freight Symposium was held in November at The Faculty Club at the University of Toronto. This all day event comprised of four sessions and a keynote address by Nando Iannicca, the Regional Chair of the Region of Peel. Each session focused on a theme and was moderated by its relevant stakeholders.

The first session concerned Key Freight Transportation Challenges and was led by Government partners including the Mayor of the Town of Caledon. Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto and Manager of Transportation System Planning at the Region of Peel Dr. Sabbir Saiyed expressed concerns relating to the expenses incurred to municipal and regional governments as a result of freight transportation inefficiencies. Barbara Gray, General Manager of Transportation Services at City of Toronto, Michael Casey, Manager of the Provincial Planning Office at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and Louis-Paul Tardif, Director of Economic Analysis and Research and Transport Canada also shared their respective agency’s views on the most pressing freight related matters.

The second session related to innovations in freight transportation and was primarily run by a panel of industry leaders. Dr. Saiedeh Razavi from McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics moderated the session while Jim Estill, CEO of Shipperbeek, Sandra Rothbard, Associate Director of Mobility and Sidewalk Labs and Khelil Khelil, Manager of Business Research & Development and Purolator Inc. showcased the projects in motion to solve of the freight related challenges faced by the private sector.

The third session discussed the initiatives for the Smart Freight Centre and was facilitated by leaders in Academia including Dr. Mehdi Nourinejad from the University of Toronto, Dr. Elkafi Hassini from McMaster University, Dr. Matthew Roorda from the University of Toronto, Dr. Peter Park from York University, Sabrina Khan from the Region of Peel and Dr. Matthew Roorda, University of Toronto. Featured presentations from the session included an Introduction to the Smart Freight Centre, E-commerce Last Mile Delivery Logistics, Potential Benefits of Managed Lanes for Freight Transportation, and an Off-Peak Delivery Pilot. The presentations were followed by an open discussion amongst the audience who contributed their own ideas for the Smart Freight Centre.

The final session related to sustainable freight transportation initiatives. A variety of partners including York University Graduate Student Erik Nevland, Maddy Ewing from Pembina Institute, Colin Sutherland from Geotab, and Dr. Hatzopoulou from the University of Toronto led discussions on fuel consumption and air quality.  Presentations were made on alternative fuel technologies and operational models for on-road freight, relying on less technology and promoting driver training to improve fuel efficiency from trucks, and the health benefits of greening freight movements.

The symposium concluded with an open discussion among all the partners of the Smart Freight Centre in attendance and closing remarks from Dr. Christopher Yip, Dean of Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto.