2016 Fields on Wheels Conference – Speaker Bios
Hon. Blaine Pedersen
Minister, Manitoba Infrastructure
Mr. Pedersen was elected as MLA for Carman in the May 2007
general election. Blaine was re-elected as MLA for the new
Midland Constituency in the October 4, 2011 Provinvial Election.
In August 2012 Blaine was appointed Caucus Chair, and Manitoba
Food & Rural Development (MAFRD) Critic.
Spring 2016 Election saw Blaine re-elected to serve the
constituents of Midland. Shortly thereafter, Premier Pallister
appointed Blaine as Minister of Infrastructure for Manitoba.
Blaine spent over 30 successful years in the cattle feeding business buying and selling
cattle in five provinces and four U.S. states. Blaine understands the need for MB to be
competitive and the importance of trade with all jurisdictions outside MB.
Born and raised in the Elm Creek area, Blaine has been an active community member. He
has also been involved in various livestock organizations all aimed at making MB a better
place to work and live.
Blaine believes communities must work together to realize their potential and address
shortcomings. Revitalizing Midland Constituency, in consultation with residents- from
youth to seniors- is his top priority.
Blaine and wife Dianne live in Elm Creek. Their family consists of daughter Janice
(Martin), sons Warren (Indira), and Lyall (Jude) and 5 grandchildren.
Dr. Brian T. Oleson
Head, Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, University of
Manitoba
Dr. Brian T. Oleson is the Department Head of the
Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural
Economics at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg,
Canada. His duties include teaching and carrying out
research and extension with a focus on grain markets,
marketing, co-operatives, market outlook. One of his
current interests is farmer marketing tools and price
instability in grain markets.
Brian grew up in the Interlake, a mixed farming and commercial fishing area of
Manitoba, Canada and received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota. His
earlier working positions, before joining the University of Manitoba in 2002, include over
two decades in the grain trade in various marketing and analysis positions with the
Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) including Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs.
Brian has traveled on business to over 60 countries, including trade missions and
GATT/NAFTA/WTO negotiations. He served as an industry advisor to the Canadian
government during the Uruguay Round and was also a industry advisory member to the
Canadian team in Doha, Qatar for the launch of the current never-ending WTO Round.
Dr. Joe Glauber
Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy (former Chief Economist, U.S.
Dept. of Agriculture)
Dr. Joe Glauber is the former Chief Economist of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture 2008-2014; former U.S. chief
agricultural negotiator in the WTO Doha talks; and is currently
Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy
Research Institute in Washington D.C.
Joe Glauber is a Senior Research Fellow at the International
Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC where his
areas of interest are price volatility, global grain reserves, crop
insurance and trade. Prior to joining IFPRI, Glauber spent over 30 years at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture including as Chief Economist from 2008 to 2014. As Chief
Economist, he was responsible for the Department’s agricultural forecasts and
projections, oversaw climate, energy and regulatory issues, and served as Chairman of
the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.From 2007-2009,
Glauber was the Special Doha Agricultural Envoy at the office of the U.S. Trade
Representative where he served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks. He
served as economic adviser at the so-called Blair House agreements leading to the
completion of the Uruguay Round negotiations. He is the author of numerous studies on
crop insurance, disaster policy and U.S. farm policy.
Doug Mills
Senior Account Representative, Port of Vancouver
Doug Mills brings more than 30 years of experience to his work
at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in marine, air, road and
rail modes of transportation.
Doug joined the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in 2000,
serving in the Statistics, Shore Operations, Supply Chain and
most recently, Trade Development departments of the Port,
where he now holds the position of Senior Account
Representative for the Bulk and Breakbulk cargo sectors. Cargo
commodities in Doug’s portfolio include coal, potash, sulphur,
grain, forest products, project cargos, automobiles, and liquid
bulk products.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Doug holds a Bachelors Degree in Business and Liberal
Arts from Simon Fraser University, as well as a Diploma in Marketing Management
Technology and Transportation Distribution Management from the British Columbia
Institute of Technology.
Mark Dyck
Director, Logistics, G3 Canada
Mr. Dyck has been involved in Logistics since 1998. His major
responsibilities include coordinating movement of G3 grain from
elevator to port, to the USA, and to Mexico. He is responsible for
managing G3’s relationships with the railways. Mark is also
responsible for east coast and west coast vessel operations, as
well as lake freight chartering. Mark is the Chairman of the
Board of Great Sandhills Railway, a 195 KM short line railway in
Saskatchewan and sits on the G3 – Algoma board managing a
pool of lakers. He has previously held positions with the CWB as
Senior Manager, Rail Logistics, and as a Transportation
Analyst. Mark received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of
Manitoba, majoring in Agricultural Economics. Mark was raised on a grain farm near
Headingley, Manitoba.
Greg Hamilton
Corporate Development Manager, CN Rail
Greg Hamilton is a Corporate Development Manager with CN. Transitioning back to
CN’s Montreal headquarters earlier this year following over a decade in Vancouver, he is
now engaging with CN’s regulatory files. He has held a variety of positions within CN’s
financial organization since beginning his career in 1995, and also has front-line
operating experience as a qualified conductor working in mainline and yard service.
Greg has a Bachelor of Commerce, Certificate in Accounting, and an MBA from McGill
University, and holds a professional designation with the Chartered Professional
Accountants of British Columbia.
Hon. Ralph Eichler
Minister, Manitoba Agriculture
Mr. Eichler was appointed Minister of Agriculture on May 3, 2016.
He was first elected as the MLA for Lakeside in 2003. He was reelected in 2007, 2011 and 2016. He has previously served as the PC
Opposition Critic for Agriculture, Municipal Government and
Manitoba Hydro. In addition to his duties in the Manitoba
Legislature, Ralph was elected by his peers as a Director to the State
Agriculture Rural Leaders Board, a cross-border group with members
from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The group brings
together stakeholders from provincial, state, and federal governments
to discuss and develop agriculture policy and to exchange best practices which played a
large role in repealing the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).
Ralph is a former purebred cattle producer, the former owner/operator of Prairie Farm
and Ranch Supply, and currently owns Ray’s Auction Service. As an agri-business
owner, he understands the importance of a healthy and sustainable rural economy. Ralph
also served for 8 years as the Administrator for the Interlake School Division and
strongly believes in building opportunities for young people. Ralph is an active volunteer
in his community, having served in various roles with many organizations including the
Teulon and Area Lions Club, the Stonewall Royal Canadian Legion Branch #52, the
Interlake Riding Club, the Interlake Community Foundation Board, and the Teulon Golf
and Country Club. Ralph and his family are also active members of their local church.
Ralph and his wife Gail have two sons, a daughter and son-in-law, and three
grandchildren.
Oksana Exell
President & CEO, WESTAC
Ms. Oksana Exell was appointed President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Western Transportation Advisory Council in October
of 2014, assuming responsibility for WESTAC's strategic direction
and leadership as it advances its role as the premier forum for
transportation industry leaders in Western Canada.
With background in both private and public sectors, she served most
recently as founding principal and Executive Director of the Asia
Pacific Gateway Skills Table, at the initiation of the Government of
Canada.
Oksana received her BA from McGill University and Masters in Public Administration
from University of Victoria and early in her career served in a policy role in the
Government of British Columbia. Subsequently she acted as an advocate for small
business in Western Canada as regional Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of
Independent Business.
As her career progressed she was made vice-president, then president, of the British
Columbia Trade Development Corporation, a Crown corporation. While engaged in the
private sector she fulfilled the roles of CEO of the Vancouver-based corporation,
Watertrax, an applications service provider, and COO of the geoscience corporation
Terraprobe of Vancouver.
Steve Pratte
Policy Manager, Canadian Canola Growers Association
Steve Pratte is a Policy Manager with the Canadian Canola
Growers Association (CCGA) where he leads the transportation
file on behalf of 43,000 Canadian canola producers and represents
their interests on several grain sector and multi-commodity
industry and government initiatives. He has worked in
transportation policy and systems planning in both the private and
public sectors.
Steve has a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma (Civil Engineering
Technology), Master of Arts (Transportation Geography) and has
completed the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation
(CITT) supply chain management program. He holds professional
designations with the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP) and CITT (CCLP).
Jeff Edwards
AVP, Service Design and Car Management, CP Rail
Jeff Edwards is the Assistant Vice President Service Design &
Car Management at CP Rail. He is responsible for Service
Design, Car Management, Capital Infrastructure planning and
Fuel. Within this role, Jeff manages the sizing and distribution
of the Grain Hopper fleet. Jeff began his career at CP in 2001,
and has worked in Finance, Operations and Commercial.
Jeff has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of
Western Ontario, and holds an MBA from the University of
Calgary. Jeff is a CFA Charter holder and started his career at
CP on the Financial Analysis team prior to moving into a
Manager role in Car Management. He has spent time as a Train
Master in Edmonton, as the Manager of Investor Relations and was the Director of Sales
for Intermodal based in Toronto. Most recently Jeff was in charge of the Operations
Center in Calgary.
Dr. Barry E. Prentice
Professor, I.H. Asper School of Business
Dr. Barry Prentice is a respected Canadian transportation and
agricultural economist. He is Professor of Supply Chain
Management and a Professional Associate of the Transport
Institute of the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University
of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
Dr. Prentice studied under Dr. Ed Trychniewicz and the late
professors Clay Gilson and Daryl Kraft, who were the leading
academics in the field of grain transportation during its
transition from the era of Statutory Freight Rates, to the WGTA and the Estey Grain and
Arthur Kroeger Reports.
Since 1996, Dr. Prentice has organized the annual Fields on Wheels conferences that
have continued to plot developments in grain transportation since the end of the Crow
Benefit to the current time. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the grain supply chain
and logistics theory that he has taught at the University of Manitoba since 1985. Dr.
Prentice has authored or co-authored more than 250 reports and papers on various aspects
of grain transportation, including the emerging use of containerization.
Chris D. Ferris
Senior Grains Analyst – Canada, Informa Economics IEG
As the Senior Grain Market Analyst, Chris Ferris provides
guidance to clients in the grains, oilseeds and special crops
sectors. Prior to joining Informa Economics IEG in 2012, Chris
worked with the Canadian Wheat Board as a market analyst for
Latin America & the Caribbean. In this role, he supported the
company’s marketing and risk management programs.
Chris grew up on a grain and cattle farm near Elkhorn, Manitoba
and worked in the livestock trade before becoming an analyst. He
holds a Master of Arts degree in economics from the University of Manitoba.
Brian Innes
Vice President, Government Relations, Canola Council
Mr. Innes leads the Canola Council’s government relations
activities including trade policy, market access and regulatory
affairs. During his time at the Council he has led the
development of the industry’s market access strategy and has
worked closely on market access issues and the negotiation of
bi-lateral and plurilateral free trade negotiations such as the
Trans-Pacific Partnership. He also serves as the president of
the Canadian Agri-food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), an
organization promoting a more open international trading
environment for agriculture and agri-food.
Prior to joining the Canola Council, Brian was a senior consultant with the Ottawa office
of an international public affairs firm. Brian also worked on Parliament Hill for the
Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of National Defence and an Industry Critic. He
holds a B.Sc., Agriculture from the University of Guelph and M.Sc., Agricultural
Economics from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.
Harvey Brooks
General Manager, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission
Raised on a mixed farming operation in Rosthern, SK, Mr.
Brooks has extensive experience in Western Canada’s
agriculture industry and has served in such positions as
Director of Policy and Economic Research for the
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, Co-operative Chair in
Agricultural Marketing and Business at the University of
Alberta and Head of Corporate Policy for the Canadian
Wheat Board.
A former deputy minister with the Government of
Saskatchewan, he served four different departments during his tenure: Agriculture and
Food, Government Relations, Highways and Transportation, and Rural Revitalization.
Recently he served as deputy minister for Yukon in the departments of Economic
Development and Community Services.
He received his doctorate in economics from Iowa State University and his M.Sc. and
B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan. His career has
focused on economic development and sustainability, encompassing policy, research,
management consulting, and management and operations.
Along with a significant amount of public and private sector experience, Harvey brings
with him expertise in cross-disciplinary approaches to industry development.