Denis O’Neil

Vice-President, Driver Competency Assessment (DCA)

Make Sure Your Drivers Measure Up!

Denis MacNeil has been involved with the DCA project since the early days with Transport Canada.  Currently he delivers the RSEA courses to train prospective trainers and evaluators and course deliverers for the Canadian government.  He has traveled extensively both in Canada and the United States approving routes, getting evaluators up to speed and helping with presentations at conferences.  To date he has the most extensive knowledge of route development and route standardization and has completed the highest number of DCA profiles for both DCA1's and DCA2's.  Denis has been the only other person beside the developer to train DCA evaluators and approve standardized assessment DCA routes.  He works with a number of larger fleets to develop and deliver loss prevention programs and has worked extensively with special populations of drivers in his work in the field of Rehabilitation and Medical referrals.  Denis holds a senior DCA credential and is a Driving Therapist Intern.

Denis was trained as an electronic technologist and after working in this field for five years became interested in farming and for twenty years managed a 1,000 acre cash crop farm.  Denis became interested in how people drive and how they learn to drive in the 1980’s.  He became an instructor and continued to upgrade his skills focusing on the areas of driver assessment and learning particularly for those with cognitive or other challenges.  In 1989 Denis tackled the challenge of designing a program for developmentally challenged individuals and was highly successful in this area.  He received accolades for his patience and understanding when working with special needs populations.  In the early 1990’s he worked on an international team with Transport Canada in developing a quality of driving measure.  Subsequent to this he worked to further develop this measure for use with the general populace.  In 1995 Denis won the Road Safety Educators’ Association Presidents’ Award for his efforts to help move the yardsticks forward in the field of how professionals relate to the task of teaching and assessing driving.

Maged Gurgis

Senior Systems Engineer – RFID, Intermec Technologies Canada Ltd

RFID – The Next Great Technology for Goods Transportation

Maged Girgis first graduated with a Bachelor degree of Economics from Alexandria University Egypt in 1988.  He has since specialized and been accredited in several computer-related fields of study.

Prior to his current role as Senior Systems Engineer RFID with Intermec Technologies, Mr. Girgis acted in a pre-sales and project management capacity for key national account installations of RF data collection hardware, RF network solutions and reseller-supported enterprise software.  He focused on logistics, manufacturing and wireless mobile applications over eight years. 

 Mr. Girgis now consults global Tier 1 suppliers of information technology on how to incorporate RFID into their offering.  He additionally coaches national early adopters of RFID applications on how to optimize their implementation.

Mr. Girgis was a charter member of the Supply Chain Network Committee, mandated to evaluate and provide a national framework for supply chain RFID applications.  As an invited member of EPCglobal’s Canadian Strategic Advisory Council, he now helps develop international compliance standards for the electronic product code supporting RFID. 

Gary Breininger

President, Infobase Marketing

The Movement of Courier Companies Towards Offering Broader Logistics Services

Gary is the President and founder of Infobase Marketing Inc., a strategic marketing consulting and business development firm that specializes in the Canadian Transportation & Logistics sector.

His extensive academic background includes York University’s Bachelor Of Business Administration program and a P.Log. (Practitioner of Logistics designation from The Logistics Institute).

The invaluable experience gained over 20 years of leading the development and execution of innovative and results producing marketing and strategic planning projects and programs at several leading courier firms throughout North America qualify Gary as one of the few true experts in the Canadian Transportation and Logistics market.

Marc Belaiche

President, torontojobs.ca

Finding and Retaining the Best Employees

Marc Belaiche is President of TorontoJobs.ca, an internet recruitment and staffing company specializing in helping companies find candidates in the Greater Toronto Area. 

TorontoJobs.ca provides the following services:

• Internet recruitment, including a job board and resume access service
• A monthly newspaper called Toronto Jobs available at hundreds of locations across the Greater Toronto Area
• Full recruitment services including temporary and permanent staffing

Marc has been in the recruitment industry since 1995.  Prior to TorontoJobs.ca, Marc was a Recruiting Manager in the staffing industry.  Prior to that, Marc worked at Prudential Insurance and KPMG in accounting and auditing roles.

Marc is a Chartered Accountant and is a member of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPAO) and volunteers on the HRPAO Dinner Speaker Series Committee.

Marc has extensive experience in on-line advertising, e-commerce and recruitment.

A graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce, Marc is married with two children and lives in Mississauga.

Peter Hall

Vice-President and Deputy Chief Economist International Trade Advisory Services Export Development Canada

Mr. Peter Hall joined Export Development Canada (EDC) in November 2004. He has more than 15 years of experience in economic analysis and forecasting. Mr. Hall is responsible for overseeing economic and political risk analysis at EDC and managing the company’s information centre.

Prior to joining EDC, Mr. Hall was Director of Economic Forecasting Services at the Conference Board of Canada. In this role, Mr. Hall represented the Conference Board at outlook conferences across Canada and in international fora. Earlier roles at the Conference Board included directing the activities of the national and provincial forecasting teams, and having sole responsibility for the Board's International Outlook. He also served on the economic forecasting staff at Ontario Hydro.

Mr. Hall has an MA in Economics from Carleton University and a BA in Economics from the University of Toronto.

Export Development Canada (EDC) provides financing and insurance to help Canadian exporters and investors expand their international business. EDC helps 7,000 Canadian companies and their global customers in up to 200 markets worldwide each year. EDC is financially self-sustaining and is a recognized leader in financial reporting, economic analysis and human resource management.

Mr. Peter Hall joined Export Development Canada (EDC) in November 2004. He has more than 15 years of experience in economic analysis and forecasting. Mr. Hall is responsible for overseeing economic and political risk analysis at EDC and managing the company’s information centre.

Prior to joining EDC, Mr. Hall was Director of Economic Forecasting Services at the

Conference Board of Canada. In this role, Mr. Hall represented the Conference Board at

outlook conferences across Canada and in international fora. Earlier roles at the

Conference Board included directing the activities of the national and provincial forecasting teams, and having sole responsibility for the Board's International Outlook. He also served on the economic forecasting staff at Ontario Hydro. Mr. Hall has an MA in Economics from Carleton University and a BA in Economics from the University of Toronto. Export Development Canada (EDC) provides financing and insurance to help Canadian exporters and investors expand their international business. EDC helps 7,000 Canadian companies and their global customers in up to 200 markets worldwide each year. EDC is financially self-sustaining and is a recognized leader in financial reporting, economic analysis and human resource management.

Oryst Dydynsky

VP Cross Border Regulatory Affairs, Descartes, ViaSafe International Trade Division

The New Normal

After a thirty-year career with Canada Customs where he was part of a changing and evolving Customs process, he brought his experience to Descartes-ViaSafe, to assist the  trade community in complying with the vast array of new security initiatives that are now part of the “new normal” trade environment.

Oryst was the Project Manager for several border initiatives to streamline the movement of imported goods to Canada.  These initiatives include the:

• Pre-Arrival Review System (PARS);
• Frequent Importer Release System (FIRST); and,
• New import systems developed for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
• Customs Self Assessment (CSA) Carrier/Driver

Gail McGuire

Vice-President of Professional Services, TrainingFolks

Leadership Style & Achieving Bottom-Line Results

As the Vice President of Professional Services, with over 15 years in the training industry, Gail’s insight and creative spirit drives the creation of many of our training programs. Gail leads the direction of our Leadership Development offerings. Gail not only provides real-world experiences, but a powerful vision of linking training with successful business practices – that not only ensure the business objectives of our customers are met, but also a positive impact is experienced.

Gail partners with our clients to build their management and leadership development – from developing multi-level strategies, building competency models, developing specific modules or full scale programs.

Gail’s practical business experience was gained from managing areas of Training, Customer Service, Call Centres, and Operations for various organizations within the courier and logistics industry.  Prior to joining TrainingFolks, Gail led the Training & Development function for Canada’s largest courier company. Gail was involved in many successful corporate learning initiatives. She led their entire training department and led the award winning “Front-Runner Leadership Program”. Her many successes stem from linking leadership competencies to all management development activities, performance management and recruitment.

Gail is an accomplished speaker, who has spoken at a variety of training conferences as well as been involved with specific industry associations such as the Conference Board of Canada, Logistics and Manufacturing association, Federated Press, Schulich School of Business and Seneca College, in Toronto.   Gail has published articles in publications, such as HR.Com, and is an active member in the CSTD, ASTD, SHRM, HRPAO organizations.

Eric Couture
Assistant Attaché, Trade Operations, US Customs & Border Protection (USCBP), Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Customs and Border Update

Eric Couture assumed his current position as the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Attaché for Trade Operations at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa on October 1, 2001.  Mr. Couture, as a representative of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is responsible for trade facilitation and liaison with Canadian businesses and government and for the implementation of commercial and trade programs concerning Canada. Mr. Couture was born in Chatham, Ontario, and in 1964 moved to Phoenix, Arizona.  Mr. Couture served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1979 with tours of duty in Korea, Vietnam, Alaska, and Germany.  Following military service he returned to Canada and attended Centennial College in Scarborough, Ontario, earning a certificate in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. He then managed an air transport company in Pickle Lake, Ontario, and then attended the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg with post-graduate study in Economics and Political Studies.

In 1989, Mr. Couture joined the U.S. Customs Service as an Import Specialist in Portland, Maine, and then transferred to Mobile, Alabama. In Alabama he served as the Senior Import Specialist, District Compliance and Fraud Coordinator, and the NAFTA Technical Specialist.  Participating in numerous special details and projects, Mr. Couture has both assisted in the design of trade programs and conducted Customs classification and appraisement seminars for the trade community with particular attention to NAFTA requirements and concerns.

In 1995 Mr. Couture was selected to be an International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Customs Service’s Office of Strategic Trade.  As an International Trade Specialist, he has conducted research and analysis on worldwide trade issues and designed national intervention programs.

While at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Mr. Couture has been discussing border and supply chain security, and transportation and trade facilitation issues with Canadian producers, shippers, distributors and with federal and provincial government offices. Additionally, Mr. Couture has been designated as the Department of Homeland Security’s Point of Contact for Canada concerning the Bio-Terrorism Act implementation. Mr. Couture can be reached in Ottawa at (613) 688-5496, or via Email at Eric.Couture@dhs.gov

Richard Thomas

Vice President, Marketing & Product Development

Markel Insurance Company of Canada

Since 1982, Richard Thomas has been actively engaged in the art and science of brand strategy, product management, marketing and communications. For more than twenty years, he has guided numerous leading brands within the financial services, packaged goods, technology, retail, professional services, education, not-for-profit and real estate industries, both in Canada and the US.

In his current position, Richard leads the value-added products & services team, as well as the marketing & communications department of Markel Insurance.

Richard possesses a degree in American Literature from The University of British Columbia and an MBA from The University of Western Ontario.

Markel is Canada’s largest trucking insurer, providing more than 50 years of continuous service to the industry. With offices in Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton, and a Safety & Training Services campus in Guelph, Ontario, Markel serves a range of carriers, from owner/operators to large fleets. Markel’s unique value-added products and services are designed to provide the ultimate in outstanding support to trucking operators, insurance brokers and their related businesses.

Sgt. Cam Woolley

Sergent, Ontario Provincial Police

How Drivers Mess Up!

Sgt. Woolley has been a member of the OPP for over 27 years. He has spent his entire career in the Toronto area specializing in traffic crime/collision investigation, and enforcement.

Sgt. Woolley has been the lead investigator on many, high-profile, precedent-setting fatal motor vehicle collisions, involving such matters as "flying truck wheels," unsafe rigs and hit-and-runs. He has continually broken new ground in the field of "forensic mechanics," and was the first police officer to utilize computer technology to download powertrain control modules as a reconstruction tool.

He has been recognized as an expert witness at all levels of Court and Inquests, and his testimony has resulted in new legislation and other traffic safety enhancements. He has escorted world leaders, the Pope and royalty getting them safely along Provincial highways to their destinations. He has been decorated for bravery for his actions in a running gun battle with a bank robber.

Cam has brought traffic safety issues into the media spotlight promoting public awareness and discussion on everything from bad drivers on a holiday weekend, highway design problems, fatigue, seat-belts, and drunk driving.

Cam is currently a supervisor in the OPP Highway Safety Division, Highway Rangers, and Media coordinator. When off-duty, he is the owner of a company supplying "picture vehicles" and consulting services to the busy Toronto film and television industry.