Transportation Minister Sawhney addresses crowd of 50 at AMTA mix and mingle

Alberta’s Transportation Minister Rajan Sawhney, addressed about 50 Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) members and industry March 11 for an industry mix and mingle.

“In industry we know that there’s a labour shortage,” she said. “We know that the supply chain issues have been very detrimental to the industry as a whole and there’s lots of conversations around ‘how are we going to solve some of these supply chain issues?’”

After chatting with the crowd and opening statements, the Minister took questions. Safety Fitness Certificates, enforcement, compliance and ELDs were all covered. Minister Sawhney said her department would continue to work with AMTA and industry to address all members’ concerns.

“I rely a lot on AMTA for guidance and advice on issues that affect the industry,” she said. “You should rely on them as well.”

The event was moderated by AMTA President Chris Nash and AMTA board members in attendance included Chair Jude Groves (Rosenau Transport), Vice Chair Real Durand (Bison Transport), Southern Regional Director Brad Beerling (Meridian Manufacturing), Director At Large Don Achtemichuk (ATS Healthcare) and Board Mentor Marcel Pouliot (IQ Trucking Consultants).

Earlier that day, the province announced an $80 million federal-provincial grant program to support municipal transit systems affected by COVID-19.