Halifax Gateway Celebrates 10 years

HALIFAX, NS, June 18, 2015 – The Halifax Gateway Council (HGC) held its Annual General Meeting today at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.  The meeting included the reappointment of George Malec, Vice-President, Business Development & Operations at the Halifax Port Authority as Chair; Marie Houde, Director of Business Development with CN as Vice Chair and Todd Protheroe, Director of Supply Chain with Clearwater as Treasurer.

George Malec indicated that this was the 10th anniversary of the Halifax Gateway Council and thanked the members for their unwavering support for the organization.  In his remarks to the board, Mr. Malec noted that the Halifax Gateway is a great example of collaboration and an organization that is actively implementing the One Nova Scotia Report’s recommendations especially as it relates to maximizing trade and free trade opportunities.

Nancy Phillips, Executive Director of the Halifax Gateway, highlighted the year’s major activities:

·       Gateway outreach sessions for businesses in Toronto, Vancouver, and five European cities to promote the Halifax Gateway’s value proposition for international trade and opportunities related to the Comprehensive European Trade Agreement (CETA)

·       Maximizing and profiling the Gateway’s capabilities to move supplies and people related to the $129B in mega projects in Atlantic Canada. See the Mega Project map produced in partnership with APEC here http://goo.gl/iZboZH

·       Defining the Gateway’s role as a conduit for moving supplies and people within Atlantic Canada’s energy sector which includes oil and gas exploration by BP and the Shell as well as wind, tidal and other renewables. http://goo.gl/5dKII0

·       Promoting success stories of local transportation and logistics companies:  Armour Transportation, the Port of Sheet Harbour, Richmond Terminals, Korean Air Cargo, and US Pre-Clearance. Read the stories here: http://goo.gl/gX2efn

·       Led the collaborative Air Gateway committee which has been a mechanism for marketing Halifax’s air access within Europe.  This year’s new and increased services included:  Europe Airpost with service to Dublin and Paris, Iceland Air to Reykjavik, Condor to Frankfurt and the new WestJet service to Glasgow.

The Chair closed the meeting by saying “Halifax has an unprecedented level of opportunity before it with the new free trade agreements and billions in mega projects in the region,” says Malec. “As Canada’s gateway to Europe, we are excited by the opportunities for collaboration to maximize opportunities to grow both the amount of cargo and people that move through Halifax.”

The following Board Members were re-appointed at the meeting:
·       Wesley Armour, President and CEO, Armour Transportation Systems
·       Richard Butts, CAO, Halifax Regional Municipality
·       Joyce Carter, President & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority
·       Jerry Staples, Vice President Air Marketing and Development
·       Marie Houde, Director Business Development, CN
·       Nancy Conrad, Senior Vice President Policy, Halifax Chamber of Commerce
·       George Malec, Vice President Business Development & Operations, Halifax Port Authority
·       Doug McRae, Chief Operating Officer, Gateway Facilities Inc.
·       Karen Oldfield, President & CEO, Halifax Port Authority
·       Captain Sidney Hynes, Executive Chairman, Oceanex
·       Steve Snider, General Manager and CEO, Halifax Harbor Bridges
·       Dr. Joshua Leon, Dean of Engineering, Dalhousie University
·       Bernard Prevost, Chief Operating Officer, I.H. Mathers
·       Todd Protheroe, Director of Logistics, Clearwater Seafood Inc.
·       Halifax Partnership, to be filled
·       Destination Halifax, to be filled
Non-Voting
·       Ann Mowatt, Regional Director General for the Atlantic Region, Transport Canada
·       Peter Hogan, Vice President Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
·       Paul LaFleche, Deputy Minister NS Transportation & Infrastructure Renewal
·       Kyle Schmeisser, Director, Trade Development, Nova Scotia Business Inc.


About the Halifax Gateway Council
Established in 2004, the Halifax Gateway Council provides a forum for transportation stakeholders in the Halifax region to work collectively to improve the competitiveness and efficiency of goods and passenger movements through Atlantic Canada’s primary gateway.  Its vision is for Halifax to be the preferred eastern Gateway. www.halifaxgateway.com

About the Halifax Gateway
Strategically positioned on the east coast of Canada, Halifax Gateway is comprised of the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the International Port of Halifax (including two super post-Panamax container terminals) CN Rail, a strong logistics and warehousing sector and excellent highway infrastructure. It offers advanced multimodal transportation and logistics, exceptional service and easy access between North America and the globe.  The Halifax Gateway is managed by the Halifax Partnership.