1. International trading patterns.

a. Effect of emerging trend of manufacturing shift from China to south-east Asia, e.g., India (hence increasing seaborne traffic to North America via Suez Canal and Atlantic Ocean) on:

– traffic at Canada’s west-coast ports, with possible loss of scale
– opportunities for traffic at Canada’s east-coast port(s) and Montréal (see also 5.1)

b. effect of changes in Canada/Europe trade from CETA, Brexit, and cooling of EU-USA relations (see also 5.1)

c. significance of proposed Laurentia container terminal at Québec City

2. Supply chain recovery priorities

a. Decision-rules about sequence in which carriers, terminal operators, and warehousing and distribution firms serve shippers during recovery from a disruption (see also 1.4 and 3.1)

3. Managing demand, to maximize performance of freight transportation system

a. 24/7 operation throughout supply chains (see also 1.2)

b. Minimizing peak loadings

c. Scheduling access to finite capacity, à la air traffic control

d. Maximizing upstream visibility on end-customer demand in supply chains, to minimize the Forrester Effect (wild variations up and down “forecast-driven” supply chains)

4. Trade disputes, protectionism, and risks and threats to trade and transportation.

a. Disruptions in the economics of the marketplace; and in the volume of goods to be moved, patterns of movement, and structure of supply chains:

(Lower demand for transport services?)

b. Do we allow market failure of transportation services users if carriers change their business models to adapt to shifting demand patterns?

(If so, will more regulatory flexibility be needed to deal with it?)

5. Reducing the demand for transportation

a. Urban design to minimize need for commuting

b. Road tolls to disincent over-use of finite capacity

c. Ramp metering to prevent over-use of finite capacity

6. Solving ride-hailing problem

(Studies are showing they cause increased traffic and congestion)