Estevan has been selected to host an upcoming Trade, Transportation and Technology Conference for the Central North American Trade Corridor Association (CNATCA).
The event will happen on May 18 at the Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute, beginning at 9:15 a.m. Delegates from both Canada and the U.S. will be in attendance to listen to speakers and learn more about the benefits of free trade and the advancements in technology.
“We’re trying to foster more efficient free trade between the countries,” said Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig, who is part of the CNATCA’s board of directors. “We’re looking at roughly $2 billion of free trade every day that goes back and forth between the borders, and it’s absolutely a boon to Canada and to the U.S.”
While the delegates at the convention in Estevan will be from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota, Ludwig noted the CNATCA extends all the way to Mexico, and involves other Canadian provinces and U.S. states.
Steve Pederson, who is from North Dakota and is one of the founding members of the CNATCA, suggested it was time for Estevan to host a convention.
“We’ll see how this inaugural meeting goes, and then we’ll test the waters and go from there,” said Ludwig.
Manpreet Sangha, who is the City of Estevan’s economic development officer, and Rebecca Westling, who is the destination tourism/communications officer, have been helping to make the event happen.
The mayor believes there is a strong contingent of speakers confirmed for the seminar.
A panel discussion on trade will begin at 10 a.m. Speakers will include: Tawnya Bernsdorf, the director of public relations with the North Dakota Ports Services; Bryan Richards, the president and CEO of the Global Transportation Hub; and Sinclair Harrison, the president of the Hudson Bay Route Association and the chairman of the Trans Canada Trail Committee for Saskatchewan.
Another three-person panel begins at 11 a.m. Rhonda Ekstrom, the vice-president of business development with the Global Transportation Hub, will be joined by Larry White, the owner of LL-International; and Jordan Gaw, the director of international finance and logistics for the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership.
A keynote speaker will address the delegates during a noon luncheon. Ludwig noted they have asked Premier Brad Wall or provincial Highways and Infrastructure Minister Nancy Heppner to speak.
After lunch, a panel session will provide information on technology. The speakers will be Marlo Anderson, the owner of Zoovio Inc. and other companies; Robert Fisher, the CEO for Leaf and Stone Resonance Services Ltd.; and Paul Gunderson, the director of Dakota Precision Agriculture Center.
Paul Godsmark, the chief technology officer and co-founder of the Canadian Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence, will provide an update on automated vehicles.
Automated trucks received a lot of publicity at last year’s convention in Bismarck, N.D. Ludwig believes they’re not far away from automated semi-trucks.
“We’ll get an update on that, and where they stand,” said Ludwig.
Representatives from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota will also meet during a session for community representatives, and the delegates will have a chance to network before the conference wraps up at 3:30 p.m.
Ludwig said the CNATCA hopes to have 60 to 100 people in attendance, including politicians, trade and technology representatives, and economic development authority workers.
