No. H115/05For release - May 25, 2005
OTTAWA — The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pierre Pettigrew, today announced, on behalf of Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, $75,000 in funding for the Comité interrégional pour le transport des merchandises, of Montreal, to advance a study on adoption and utilization of supply chains in the Montreal area.
"This is great news for the Comité interrégional pour le transport des marchandises," said Mr. Pettigrew. "Studies such as this one enable the transportation industry to better respond to Montreal's increasing needs."
"This study will promote efficiency by helping transportation stakeholders offer services tailored to our evolving transportation system," said Mr. Lapierre.
The $150,000 study features a three-phase approach and is expected to produce useable results within six months. The first phase will present various supply chain management practices and how they affect demand for transportation. The second phase will be a data gathering exercise to determine supply chain management needs of companies in the Montreal area. The third phase will examine how the transportation industry can best respond to these needs and will identify measures to promote transportation efficiency and increase competitiveness in the transportation sector.
Funding for this project is part of the Government of Canada's $600 million Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, which was announced on April 3, 2001. The SHIP program has two components: a $500 million highway construction component and a $100 million national system integration component. From the integration component, $5 million is available for academic research studies or applied transportation initiatives that advance transportation planning and modal integration in urban areas and along transportation corridors.
Funding for this initiative was provided from the existing financial framework.
A backgrounder outlining SHIP's Transportation Planning and Modal Integration Initiative is attached.
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Contacts:
Irène MarcheterreDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister, Ottawa(613) 991-0700
Robin BrowneCommunicationsTransport Canada, Ottawa(613) 993-0055
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BACKGROUNDERTRANSPORTATION PLANNINGAND MODAL INTEGRATION INITIATIVE
The Government of Canada's vision for transportation includes a more integrated transportation system in which all modes work better together.
The national transportation system is more than the sum of its parts; it involves connections and integration of various modes and jurisdictions. A sustainable and efficient transportation system plays an important role in ensuring Canada's competitive success in global trade where integrated logistics chains with global reach are increasingly in competition with one another.
Intermodal transportation requires that the physical and electronic connections between different modes of transportation, such as rail and marine, be fully integrated in order to increase system efficiency and reduce total transit time and costs. New technologies, improvements to traditional infrastructure, and the harmonization of regulations are important in designing systems and managing the increasing demands on transportation infrastructure.
An integrated transportation system requires that transportation needs be considered from a system-wide and strategic perspective. Such an integrated system requires planning and feasibility studies to assess transportation needs from a multi-modal perspective. By supporting the development of transportation-related expertise and research in the public, private and academic sectors, Transport Canada is fostering the innovation required to help our transportation system adapt to current and future challenges.
Funding for Transportation Planning and Modal Integration Initiatives is part of the Government of Canada's $600 million Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP), which was announced on April 3, 2001.
For further information on SHIP, please visit our website at www.tc.gc.ca.
May 2005
