Canada invests to keep freight moving

The Canadian Government has pledged investment to make the country’s air transport system more reliable in the face of extreme weather and to link remote communities as part of a programme to strengthen its freight and trade corridors.

Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced a C$105m for three new projects with air traffic control provider Nav Canada under the National Trade Corridors Fund on June 29.

The Fund aims to help Canada compete in key global markets, trade more efficiently with international partners, and to keep supply chains competitive and resilient. It is described as a long-term commitment to work with stakeholders on strategic infrastructure projects to address transportation bottlenecks, vulnerabilities and congestion.

Alghabra said: “An efficient and reliable transportation network is key to Canada’s economic growth. Our government, through the National Trade Corridors Fund, is making investments that will support the flow of goods across Canada’s supply chains now and into the future. These three Nav Canada projects will improve the efficiency and flow of air cargo in Canada by reducing bottlenecks at the major hubs which cause delays across the entire aviation network. A more efficient movement of goods is beneficial to Canada’s economy and to Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast.”

The plan includes up to C$39.2m to provide new technology for improving the reliability, safety, and performance of Canada’s air transportation system.

There will also be up to C$34.5m to implement technology to improve air traffic management. The project would also allow for the implementation of drone traffic management services to monitor and control drone operations in Canada’s airspace.

A furtherC$31.2m will be available to improve technology and infrastructure at four major airports – Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto Pearson, Calgary and Vancouver to enable them to respond to increased air demand, including cargo.