We already have a proven one—the Canada Border Services Agency 

By Bryn Heimbeck, President and Co-Founder, Trade Tech, Inc. 

There have been lot of suggestions around how to manage port congestion in the past two years.  The suggestion has been made to focus on a better flow of data in order to achieve the efficiency and productivity needed for our ports to handle the large cargo flows they have been facing.  This would alleviate the need for major capital improvements.  In the U.S., the Department of Transportation and the Federal Maritime Commission are looking to accelerate digitization within the industry in an effort to address the challenges that are plaguing today’s supply chain.

Both the DOT and FMC have pointed to the lack of a global data standard as the challenge and calling for a new one to be created—working collaboratively with commercial organizations that will benefit from the government’s investment in the massive undertaking of creating a new standard.

We know— as most Customs House Brokers know—we do not need another data standard. We have a well-established data standard system that has been refined over the last two decades to near perfection by U.S. Customs.

The industry welcomes the government’s response and willingness to facilitate a solution to the supply chain crisis, but the DOT and FMC are overlooking that the existing U.S. Customs’ standard is already a solid foundation upon which to build.

Neutral, not-for-profit U.S. Customs and its international counterparts represent a fine-tuned global data standard that is already used by Ocean Carriers, Port Terminals, Customs Brokers, and Customs Agencies throughout the world, with the standards established by the World Customs Organization (WCO) model tying them together.

Data standards are not new.

Congestion at ports has raised calls for many reforms, including greater transparency. But the government’s call to create new data standards is misguided, as:

• WCO data standard has been followed globally since the early 1980s
• Regulations for compliance expanded in 2003 as part of increased security efforts following 9/11
• These regulations are strictly enforced by many global Customs agencies and carry heavy fines and penalties for non-compliance

A proven global data standard–U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system.

Data Standards make it easier to create, share, and integrate information. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is an exceptional system for today’s Ship, Air, Rail, and Truck transport. This foundational standard also maintains well -regulated processes and procedures. Multiple stakeholders, including carriers and ports, are tied into this digital communication system.

Under ACE:

• Every required data element must be transmitted to ACE 24 hours before cargo is loaded aboard a vessel (the timeframe for Air Shipments is shorter)
• ACE covers all contingencies for cargo movement from origin to destination including the vessel arrival at the port of entry, any in-bond movements, Permits to Transfer (PTT), Immediate Transportation Entry (IT), Immediate Export (IE), and Transport and Export (T&E). Any failure to comply results in fines ranging from a minimum of $5,000 to the value of the cargo. Truly bypassing US Customs is called smuggling and can result in potential jail time.

An ill-advised pivot to creating new standards is an enormous challenge that will likely:

• Call for a vast number of resources, both labor and capital investments
• Take several years to develop
• Require more than a decade for any substantial adoption from the industry
• Will not be adopted globally

How third-party software has become critical to succeed in freight forwarding and CHB.

The following is a contributed article by Cris Arens, Managing Partner, Logisyn

When I started my logistics career in the late 1980s, telex machines and typewriters were prominent in freight forwarding. Fax machines were almost magical when I was traveling around the world for a Chicago-based freight forwarder. While some logistics entrepreneurs had invested in a few personal computers, a good operator typing 70 words per minute was far more efficient than those old IBM machines fighting with dot matrix printers. It is still hard to believe what we accomplished without cell phones, email, internet or networked computers back in the day.

As a young man, I saw a different future and co-founded Fountainhead International. Our product was CargoWise which set out to build Windows-based systems for midsize freight forwarders in the USA and Canada.

For the past 14 years, with Logisyn Advisors Inc., a global M&A company for the logistics industry, I have pursued a new interest in mergers and acquisitions for logistics service providers (freight forwarders, truck brokers, trucking companies, e-commerce, etc).

Over the past two years, Logisyn Advisors has spent a lot of time researching and networking with logistics technology firms. Technology is core to the M&A integration process. Smart buyers and sellers need their advisors to understand this space. From startups to the new unicorns we have met many interesting tech entrepreneurs around the world. The industry has come a long way in terms of technology; however, Logisyn Advisors believes this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The five main points below apply to freight forwarders around the world who should all be asking these types of questions.

  1. What is the long-term ownership exit strategy? 

For privately held companies, ownership’s long-term strategy is critical in determining tech budgets. If ownership has built a lifestyle business with a strategy to hand off to the next generation or exit 2-10 years down the road, you needed to begin investing in technology yesterday. In contrast, if you are planning on pursuing an exit strategy in the near future, switching systems may hurt your valuation short term. If you sell the firm to a strategic buyer (versus a financial buyer who would use the company as a platform), the new owners will be on their own TMS / visibility system. They will most likely have you switch again. Implementing new technology is painful, so make sure you think this area out before you start your research.

  1. One size does not fit all in terms of Freight Forwarding / CHB solutions: TMS / Back office

If you are a multinational freight forwarder who needs customs capabilities in multiple countries with full global accounting…. your TMS solution was most likely already mentioned in this article. That game is over until a new competitor steps forward with a real global solution. However, if you are a 50-employee Canadian freight forwarder with offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, you don’t necessarily need or want that complexity or expense. There are great TMS providers out there for mid-size forwarders who have deep domain knowledge with country specific or regional expertise. With the new integration tools and companies focused on logistics (chain.io for example) you can integrate with customers, agents and vendors around the world even if they are on different systems.

  1. You need to understand the tech ecosystem that is thriving around the TMS / back office providers

Shippers and consignees are demanding information solutions from their logistics providers that were just a dream 10 years ago. The list includes difficult shipment routings / tracking requirements at every step of the supply chain, visibility software, OCR standardization, electronic bookings with all vendors, global payment systems, AI enabled document automation, are just a few examples. Seamless integrations to customer ERP systems and competing TMS systems will become a requirement to compete.

Logisyn Advisors has spent a lot of time and money researching and writing about this topic in the logistics tech sector. Do not underestimate the importance of the adoption of quality visibility software. Every TMS provider claims to have visibility software, but if you ask the freight forwarders or their customers, many disagree that current TMS visibility solutions meet the new customer requirements. The unicorns in this space have convinced their investors that they will change the game. Firms like FourKites and Project 44 are the current leaders, but there are more coming.

(A research paper on this topic is available.)

  1. You need to truly understand your customers’ tech needs and capabilities in order to compete. Each customer has unique IT needs and the game is changing

It is always about the customer. COVID did so much damage to the world, but it also forced us to think and act differently. One positive side effect is it made global freight companies and their customers see the value of investing in technology. For the small and mid-size CIFFA members without large IT budgets, that can seem daunting, but don’t forget your main advantage. You can be nimble and move fast. When a firm has thousands of employees on legacy systems, implementing technology needs to go through committee and testing processes that can take six months to two years. Use your advantage.

  1. Finally, make sure your technology provider is in it for the long haul.

Before the 2002 dot.com bubble hit, financial institutions were throwing money at tech companies promising to cut out the freight forwarder. We kept a list of firms that had raised over $10M on a whiteboard in my office. We always resented these companies because we had worked around the clock living on credit cards to build a real product. In contrast, these firms had raised millions of dollars selling vaporware via PowerPoints to financial people who did not understand the industry. When the tech crash happened, our team felt vindicated when we crossed names off the whiteboard competitor list.

Twenty years later, we are in a different environment. But with rising interest rates, money has become more expensive for investors and they will want their portfolio companies to become profitable sooner than later. If your software partners had a Series A, Series B, Series C…into infinity fundraising strategy, make sure you have bet on the right horse.

We always seem to be moving from one crisis to another in logistics. It is the life we have chosen and the tech changes are going to change the game. With that said, Logisyn believes the small / midsize freight forwarders can thrive with technology in the new environment; but it will require strategic planning.

For more information about TMS providers best suited for both large and small freight forwarders in Canada, and about the interesting tech ecosystem building up around the TMS providers,please email max.arens@logisyn.com.

The Government of Canada launched the National Cyber Security Strategy Consultation this summer, requesting feedback to the changing digital landscape and the exposure to cyber threats and cybercrime.

An eight-week public consultation ran until August 19, 2022, with contribution from a broad range of Canadians.

Canada’s National Cyber Security Strategy was initially launched in 2018. Since that time new technologies and international events have impacted how we use the internet, and increased potential risks. The COVID-19 pandemic and the significant increase in ransomware are just two examples of events that have changed considerations around cyber security since the Strategy’s release.

Input received will be compiled and analyzed to identify key themes, ideas and suggestions to help inform and guide the Renewal of the National Cyber Security Strategy. Results may be used to inform policy and may be shared within the Government of Canada. Public Safety Canada will retain completed online survey and email submissions in order to develop a summary of findings and to develop a high-level public report.

 

Goal 1: Secure and Resilient Canadian Systems: 

The threats we face in cyberspace are complex and rapidly evolving. Governments, businesses, organizations, and Canadians are vulnerable. With more of our economy and essential services moving online every year, the stakes could not be higher.

In terms of concerns related to cyber security, cybercrime, etc., and how the Government of Canada could help to better protect individuals and organizations, CIFFA indicated that :

“ Our members are struggling with assessing the risks that they face and the level of investment those risks justify in Cybersecurity and/or Cyber insurance premiums. It would be helpful to have a risk calculator developed by the Government of Canada that would allow them to establish appropriate budgets. 

Our members are also concerned about risks (unintentional or otherwise) from with their firms. Clear guidance on what they can and cannot do with respect to monitoring the use of company IT would be helpful. This is especially true in Work from Home situations.”

 

Goal 2: An Innovative and Adaptive Cyber Ecosystem

In terms of Cyber Security Awareness, and initiatives needed to help increase cyber security awareness for all, CIFFA indicated that:

“We would like to see the Government of Canada advertising the resources that have been made available (www.getcybersafe.gc.ca). The advertising should be broadcast across as many channels as possible and specifically address securing Work from Home environments.

We would like the Government of Canada to partner with Associations like ours to get the message out to Members. The Government should provide a quarterly bulletin that we can incorporate into our regular Member communications. We would like access to more up-to-date information. In many cases the information provided by the Government of Canada is 10 years old.”

 Agile and Adaptive Cyber Security Capabilities

What steps should be taken to secure networks, emerging technologies, and to better protect Intellectual Property and consumer products (like Internet-of-Things and apps)?

CIFFA responded that it would like to see the Government of Canada certify any device that attaches to the network as meeting Cybersecurity standards. 

“We would also like to see the introduction of penalties for firms that deploy apps and/or hardware that collect and disseminate information for which they do not have appropriate permission. “We would like to see clearer guidelines for reporting Cybersecurity incidents. We would also like to see the process clarified and simplified. When do members contact police, privacy commissioner, etc.?” 

Cyber Skills and Talent Pipeline

What can be done to increase Canada’s cyber security workforce capacity and create job-ready workers? (For example, is there a mismatch between the in-demand skills and the skills of post-secondary graduates, is there a misalignment between job descriptions and the experience of candidates, is there a need for standardized curricula and outcomes, access to work-integrated learning opportunities, and short-cycle training and upskilling for workers and graduates, etc.?)

CIFFA noted that “we believe that there are unique cybersecurity concerns in the supply chain for which skills are not being developed. We recommend, in cooperation with the Government of Canada, the development of a short cycle training program that is made available to our members to ensure their staff have the appropriate skills for dealing with these unique challenges.”

 

Goal 3: Effective Leadership, Governance and Collaboration

What is needed to strengthen collaboration and engagement on common interests between the provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and Municipal governments, regulators, private sector, academia, not-for profits, labour organizations and the Government of Canada?

CIFFA would like to see cooperation between the Government of Canada and providers of cybersecurity insurance so that a common understanding of the risks and ways to mitigate the risks in the most cost effective manner can be developed and shared with our members. 

What can the Government of Canada do to help shape the international cyber security environment in Canada’s favour and advance Canada’s international cybersecurity interests?

Finally, CIFFA indicated it would like to see the Government’s support and/or participation in the global initiatives to enhance cybersecurity in the supply chain. This includes topics as diverse as smart sensors (IOT) and Blockchain.

 

 

A CIFFA Member to Member Webinar on Cybersecurity – “How to Protect Your Business, Tomorrow”, was held June 28, 2022, offered as follow-up to the 10 Best Cybersecurity Practices paper created by CIFFA’s Technology Committee.

A panel of seasoned professionals provided expert advice and best practices on how to protect your business – both before and after a cyber attack.

Many cyber attacks happen because hackers spot a security vulnerability and exploit it. They can do this by: brute-forcing the password, eavesdropping on communications, and extracting personal information through phishing attacks, and through many other means.

Moderated by Drew Simons – Principal, Roxville Technology Inc., webinar panelists included John Berry – SVP of Information Technology, OEC Group, Shawn Davidson – President, Trapp Technology, Ashish Mathur – Global CIO, ECU Worldwide, and Aadhar (Ady) Sharma – Vice President, AON.

According to Trapp Technology, today’s most common threats and attacks include: social engineering (human error), phishing, (a type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent message designed to trick a person into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious software on the victim’s infrastructure like ransomware), vishing, (just one form of phishing, which is any type of message – such as an email, text, phone call or direct-chat message – that appears to be from a trusted source, but isn’t-(the goal is to steal someone’s identity or money), and smishing, (a phishing cybersecurity attack carried out over mobile text messaging, also known as SMS phishing), ransomware (Crypto Locker), distributed denial of service (DDoS), (a cybercrime in which the attacker floods a server with internet traffic to prevent users from accessing connected online services and sites), brute force attacks, (uses trial-and-error to guess login info, encryption keys, or find a hidden web page), and man-in-the-middle, a type of cyber attack in which the attacker secretly intercepts and relays messages between two parties who believe they are communicating directly with each other. The attack is a type of eavesdropping in which the attacker intercepts and then controls the entire conversation.

Attacks like drive by downloads exist when a hacker creates a vector for malware delivery — online message, ads, legitimate program downloads. You interact with the vector for example by clicking a deceptive link.

The most common and the most prominent ways that ransomware enters an organization are the following: e-mail link, 31%, e-mail attachment, 28%, and via website or web app, 24%, (with unknown at 9%, social media at 4%, USB stick 3%, and business application 1%.)

As guidance, unsolicited emails should not be trusted, nor should funds be sent to people who request them by email, especially not before checking with leadership. Spam should always be filtered, and an antivirus, firewall and detection programs installed and kept up to date.

Never click on unknown links in email messages.

Also, beware of email attachments. If you get one from what looks like a friend, contact them independently to ensure that they actually sent it.

Slow down. Hackers want you to act first and think later. Never let someone’s urgency prohibit your careful review of the situation. Delete any request for information that seems suspicious. Do not reply or forward the message.

Any email that randomly asks you to change your password or payment information could be a scam (phishing) and must be verified by other means of communication. Phishing is one of the most successful forms of social engineering attacks used today.

The government or any financial institution will never contact you using email to request private information.

Cyber insurance: what’s its role?

According to AON, the role of cyber insurance is to help protect an organization with pre-breach assessments, access to pre-vetted vendors, and cyber security information. Assistance can be provided via forensic investigators, legal services, credit monitoring, call center services, crisis management and public relations.

Proper insurance enables a business to return to “operational”, accounts for the loss of revenue, income and turnover, and accounts for costs incurred to recreate or restore data and information.

Insurance can also mitigate legal costs and damages from claims alleging privacy breach or network security failure.

Cyber insurance can offer coverage for items such as breach event expenses, for example reimbursement coverage for the insured’s costs to respond to a data privacy or security incident.

Policy triggers vary but are typically based on discovery of an event, or a statutory obligation to notify consumers of an event.

Insurance can also cover digital asset restoration, cyber extortion, network business interruption, system failure, dependent business interruption, dependent system failure, privacy and network security liability, privacy regulatory fines and penalties, media liability, and PCI fines and penalties.

The Fall 2022 issue of the Forwarder is largely dedicated to the topic of Technology and the trends and issues forwarders and other supply chain stakeholders face in adopting it, adapting to it, and harnessing it for success and transparency.

Evolving technology is pushing the boundaries and changing how the world does business. While some of the effects can disrupt the logistics industry, over the long run they can also help leverage the use of automation, workflow optimization, digitization and artificial intelligence. In the context of the supply chain, improved technology has also increased productivity, minimized costs and errors, enhanced customer experienced value, and facilitated data-sharing to multiple sources in real time. These advancements should be explored and analyzed in detail by the freight forwarding community, ensuring that they are well informed and prepared to meet the future demand. (Download Full Magazine)

TORONTO, December 5,2022 — CIFFA, the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association, has appointed Julia Kuzeljevich to the position of Director, Policy and Regulatory Affairs.

Formerly in the role of Director, Policy and Communications, Julia will now assume more responsibility for CIFFA’s government relations files, at all levels of government and working with CIFFA’s lobbyist in Ottawa.

The role reflects CIFFA’s increasingly active Advocacy agenda on multiple fronts and reports to the Executive Director.

Commenting on the appointment, CIFFA Executive Director Bruce Rodgers said “CIFFA is taking a more proactive approach in addressing our membership needs with legislative officials. This new appointment better reflects the direction and requirements of our Association.”

The role is effective immediately.

The Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) represents some 300 regular member firms including freight forwarding, freight brokerage and drayage companies. CIFFA member companies employ tens of thousands of highly skilled international trade and transportation specialists. As a vital component of Canada’s global supply chain, member firms of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) facilitate the movement of goods around the world. We provide a vital link in Canada’s global supply chains, enhancing export capabilities and assisting in the delivery of competitive solutions to Canada’s importing and exporting communities.

On October 5, 2022, CIFFA’s Executive Director Bruce Rodgers and Director, Policy and Communications Julia Kuzeljevich presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee regarding Anticipated Labour Shortages in the Transportation sector.

CIFFA was one of three witness groups. Also participating were:

Each group presented an opening statement which was followed by a government Q&A period.

CIFFA thanks its Board of Directors for providing input and content to be addressed.

The questions primarily related to driver shortages and underground economy through Drivers Inc.

We were able to table the following points: supply chain challenges, off-shoring activities, the National Occupation Classification system and the need for a comprehensive National Trade Corridors strategy.

The following text is CIFFA’s written submission as sent to the Clerk:

 

Remarks of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association To The House Standing Committee on Transportation,  Infrastructure and Communities

October 5, 2022

 

Thank you Mr. Chairman for inviting Bruce and me to speak on this critical issue.

Monsieur le président et mesdames et messieurs les membres du Comité, au nom de l’ATIC, l’Association des transitaires internationaux canadiens, nous vous remercions de nous donner cette occasion aujourd’hui de nous adresser à vous.

Before we start, we’d like to compliment the committee for your diligence in chasing these issues, which are so serious and so complex. It means a lot to all of us in the industry that you are looking for any solutions government might provide.

The Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) represents some 300 regular member firms from the largest of global multi-national freight forwarding firms to small and medium sized Canadian companies. CIFFA member companies employ tens of thousands of highly skilled international trade and transportation specialists.

Our members are the front line of Canada’s supply chain, managing the majority of freight shipments. But it’s important to note that we also represent Drayage operators – these are the truckers serving the ports and container terminals where you have seen such congestion in recent years, and the Freight Brokers – who manage the movement of cross border trade.

The human resource problems in the supply chain are critical and are NOT getting better. Many of the problems are tied up with the frustrations of the supply chain itself.

People used to make their money on speed and volume.  Today that’s impossible in many areas.

We have a short, less than 2-minute video, which one of our members recorded that illustrates a small but contributing part of the problem. A copy has been sent to the clerk.

In the video you would see 65 trucks, lined up waiting to get into the one of the Rail yards in Vaughan, Ontario. This is the equivalent length of approximately 40 football fields. These trucks are trying to return empty containers which are required to facilitate export trade.

It’s important to understand that these drivers make their money by moving containers between the rail yards and importers and exporters.  As they sit idle they are losing money. It’s hard to recruit new drivers when everyone can see how hazardous a business it’s become. Rising fuel and insurance costs only add to the problem.

The CIFFA member who recorded this told us he had 8 drivers in this line, and none got into the yard that day. Their drivers waited in excess of 5 hours, only to have the gates closed due to Terminal congestion.

By the way, this congestion in Vaughan is actually connected to Canada’s West Coast.  Government put significant pressure on the rail providers, terminals operators and the port of Vancouver to clear the backlog and ships at anchorage. The rationale was to facilitate the export of grain. We all understand that priority, but the improved flow in Vancouver doesn’t indicate we solved the problems; we just moved them further inland, to Toronto and Montreal.

So, unfortunately, our first “suggestion” for addressing workforce shortages is to fix the terrible problems affecting the supply chain.

As Parliamentarians you’ll make your own decisions about how interventionist the government should be. Our laissez-faire, market driven system has worked well for decades, but the transport sector is having trouble resetting itself.

The chronic uncertainties that are frustrating consumers are also squeezing the workers and the problem is not getting better.

And in the video there were no porta-potties along that line. A problem for all drivers, but especially for women.

Thanks to the committee again for your attention to this issue and we welcome your questions.

CIFFA is pleased to have partnered with National Post and mediaplanet on a Supply Chain Resilience campaign.

Recent events have highlighted weaknesses in the supply chain. CIFFA acts as the voice of freight forwarders, freight brokers, and drayage operators.

Canada’s supply chain — deemed fragile at best before COVID-19 — has become even more so in the past two years. “COVID-19 was the catalyst to really expedite all these challenges,” says Bruce Rodgers, Executive Director of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA). “Under the current situation, a disruption at any of the points along the chain means significant breakdowns and failures everywhere, where one day of disruption will take roughly a week of recovery.”

Weather issues, labour disputes, rail blockades, and changes in consumer purchasing habits are some of the factors that have compromised the stability of our supply chains. Another is the irregular and unpredictable steamship schedules, making it hard for importers to gauge when products arrive. “This causes them to order in advance to ensure well-stocked shelves. Then when the ships do arrive, it creates a surge of volumes which causes an overflow in the warehouses, which in turn creates further congestion down the line at the rail yards and ports,” says Rodgers.

Advancing the interests of freight forwarding community

The Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association — established in 1948 — works to advance the needs and interests of the supply chain community across three pillars — membership, education, and advocacy.

There are two membership categories — regular members and associate members. The regular membership category, which comprises freight forwarders, was recently extended to include drayage operators who move shipping containers from ports and terminals and Third-Party Logistics (3PL) load brokers, to ensure a stronger voice and broader reach. Associate members are any companies or entities connected in some way to freight forwarding and movement of goods, such as insurance companies, legal firms, IT-related organizations, port authorities, rail providers, carriers, trucking companies, and customs brokers.

CIFFA’s education pillar has formed the cornerstone of the Association since its inception. “We have a very strong reputation under the CIFFA brand for quality educational products for the logistics industry and a consistency of delivery,” says Julia Kuzeljevich, Director of Policy and Communications at CIFFA. The Association’s programs have evolved and expanded continuously year-over-year and were recently updated with on-demand and virtual offerings to support remote learning. In addition to learning the latest industry news delivered through CIFFA’s eBulletin and access to The Forwarder print magazine, members benefit from special pricing on events, education, and training initiatives.

Through the advocacy pillar, CIFFA is raising awareness of the issues and lobbying for improvement in the industry. “We have developed strong relationships with our external stakeholders such as the ports, terminals, rail providers, and partner organizations, and we regularly participate in and present at industry conferences and committees,” says Kuzeljevich.

“…cargo doesn’t complain, so we’re the voice of cargo and will continue to raise awareness of Canada’s supply chain challenges and strive to improve for the benefit of industry.”

A holistic approach needed to solve problems

CIFFA has also been expanding its outreach with the federal government. “We’re trying to make them aware of the bigger picture because looking at the problems in isolation just creates further problems down the line. You need to take a holistic view of everything that’s being affected through the supply chain challenges to come up with a solution,” adds Rodgers.

And while the supply chain challenges are global in nature, Rodgers explains that we can’t solve them as a country if we don’t look internally. “As I like to say, cargo doesn’t complain, so we’re the voice of cargo and will continue to raise awareness of Canada’s supply chain challenges and strive to improve for the benefit of industry,” says Rodgers.

Author: Anne Papmehl, ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com (View Article)

NOTE:  The following applies only to provincially-regulated employers in Ontario.  It does not apply to federally-regulated employers in Ontario. 

In 2022, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022. Amongst other things, the Bill amended the Employment Standards Act to require provincially-regulated employers who have 25 or more employees in Ontario as of January 1 in any year are to have a written policy with respect to electronic monitoring in place by March 1 of that year. As a transitional provision, provincially-regulated employers who have 25 or more employees in Ontario on January 1, 2022, will have until October 11, 2022, to have the policy in place.

The policy must include all forms of employee monitoring that is done electronically by the employer.

Employers are to provide a copy of the written policy to all employees within 30 days of preparing the policy or, if an existing written policy is changed, within 30 days of the changes being made to all employees. The employer must also provide a copy of the written policy to any new employees within 30 calendar days of the date of hire.

As a CIFFA member, you have FREE access to a Gallagher HR Online account.  Login today to access the Electronic Monitoring policy template.

If you are having difficulties logging into your account please contact the Humaniqa Help Desk by email at info@humaniqa.com or phone at 1-855-237-1066.

The following article was contributed by CIFFA member Humaniqa.com

 

TORONTO, September 16, 2022.

For over twenty years, FIATA and the TT Club have been organizing the annual Young Logistics Professionals Award (YLP Award), formerly the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award (YIFFYA).  This competition provides valuable opportunities to young professionals in the freight forwarding and logistics fields.

In January 2022, CIFFA selected Karina Daniela Pérez Pérez as the Canadian winner of the YLP Award.  She subsequently entered the regional round of the YLP Award, was announced as the Americas regional winner in July 2022, and became one of four contestants to compete for the global YLP Award at the FIATA World Congress in Busan, Republic of Korea in September 2022.

After defending her dissertations and, following a review process by FIATA and the TT Club, Karina was announced the global winner of the YLP Award on September 16, 2022.

Karina’s dissertations detail the transportation of two key products for the Canadian economy – an importation of over-dimensional generator engines from Germany to Northern Ontario for a mine expansion project, and an exportation of dangerous goods from Canada to Peru, both focusing on the environmental aspect of the move.

The prize to be awarded to the winner principally consists of practical and academic training, including a week based at one of the TT Club’s regional centres in London, Hong Kong or New Jersey plus a week in the TT Club’s Head Office in London.  Additionally, a one-year subscription to the International Transport Journal (ITJ) is provided to all four regional winners.

Karina started her post-secondary education in Mexico, where she received a scholarship to study a semester abroad at Bishop’s University in Quebec, Canada.  She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology Engineering from the Instituto Politecnico Nacional. She continued her education in Canada and graduated with High Honours from Seneca College’s International Transportation and Customs Program. Karina was one of only a few students selected for the co-op program during which she gained experience handling import and export shipments via truck to and from Canada, USA and Mexico and went on a business trip to Queretaro, Mexico while working for First Frontier Logistics Inc.  Karina has also completed the Authorized Cargo Representative and Customs Automation Certificate Descartes MSR Customs course, as well as the CIFFA International Freight Forwarding Courses and received the FIATA Diploma.  Her passion for the logistics industry began in her hometown of Zamora, Michoacan, Mexico, whose main economic activity is the exportation of fresh and frozen fruits.  She currently works as an Inside Sales Representative at DSV Global Transport and Logistics. Karina has also been part of the Air Import and Export Department, where she has won the data quality challenge award of excellence. She has volunteered with the Trade Commission of Mexico and the Daily Bread Food Bank.

For more information on CIFFA’s Young Logistics Professionals Award, visit https://www.ciffa.com/awards-and-scholarships/