Dear CargoM members and partners,

We are pleased to share with you the latest news from CargoM.

Several important events have taken place in recent months. To begin with, we enthusiastically launched our new Foreign Trade Zone Center, the thirteenth to be awarded by Canada’s regional development agencies. A press conference was held for the occasion and the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport of Canada, officially announced the new designation covering the metropolitan region. As a one-stop source under the stewardship of CargoM, the Foreign Trade Zone Center will have the mandate to inform businesses on Canadian policies and programs related to foreign trade zones. We are delighted to welcome a fifth member to our team as   Foreign Trade Zone Center Coordinator, Mr. Christian Kamudimba. Our supply chain’s economic activities will be supported by the development and growth of companies that take advantage of  these numerous programs.

To promote our hub internationally, CargoM organized a mission to Munich, Germany in connection with the Transport Logistic conference and trade fair, the largest of its kind in Europe. Members and partners of CargoM, including the Montreal Port Authority, Logistec Corporation, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Air Canada Cargo and Metro Canada Logistics, accompanied us and were able to meet and establish ties with German companies and organizations working in transportation and logistics. In addition to promoting the Greater Montreal hub, this mission enabled us to learn more about new practices in supply chain management.

Last June, at our annual meeting, we presented our 2018-2019 annual report to more than 100 people. We also elected our Board of Directors and Executive Committee. I take this opportunity to thank all our directors who were involved last year and who will contribute in the coming year to the development of our actions and projects. To close the event, we held a networking activity with our members and partners.

Preparations for our 4th Career Day have begun. More than twenty companies have already confirmed their presence. The event will take place on Tuesday, November 5 at the Grand Quay of the Port of Montreal. For more information or to book your booth, contact us at ymurray@cargo-montreal.ca.

Thanks to Marc Gagnon of Fednav Limited, I had the good fortune to sail three days aboard the Federal Caribou on a trip from Contrecoeur to Hamilton. Going through the seven locks between the two ports was an unforgettable experience. Thank you to the crew and Captain Devanshu Rawat for welcoming me so warmly.

In closing, I would like to welcome the new members of the cluster, Lowe’s Canada, Air Canada Cargo, ACS Logistics, PDI, Synergie Canada, Danaca Transport and Courchesne Larose.

The entire CargoM team wishes you all the best this summer.

Happy reading!

Mathieu Charbonneau Executive Director