By DAN HEATH
PLATTSBURGH -- One way to make the Quebec-New York Corridor more successful would be to make it North America's first "green" trade corridor.
Those efforts will be the centerpiece of the fourth Quebec-New York Economic Summit, to be held May 20 in Quebec City.
Special Assistant to the Executive Director for Partnership Development Benjamin Teitelbaum of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation said that while the organization has a regulatory role, it is more focused on encouraging cooperation and providing support for environmental efforts.
FOOTPRINT REDUCTION
Teitelbaum has been asked to focus on bilateral agreements, and the Quebec-New York Corridor presents one such opportunity, he said.
"There is an incredible realignment going on of the whole transportation grid."
Most companies are now looking to reduce their environmental footprint as much as possible, Teitelbaum said. That means looking for the most environmentally friendly and efficient supply chains, which includes ports and other forms of transportation.
As that occurs, the trade corridors that will prosper are the ones that reduce their environmental footprint as much as possible.
EXPORT PASSAGE
Robert Keating, recently appointed Quebec delegate general of the Quebec Government Office in New York, spoke about the importance of making the corridor as efficient as possible.
"It is our largest export market," he said.
Quebec exports 10 times more to New York than it does to France and five times more than it does to the United Kingdom, Keating said.
More than 132 million people live within a one-day shipping area of the corridor, he said. That area is home to more than 50 percent of the skilled workers in the United States and Canada and handles 60 percent of the goods manufactured in those two countries.
It is encouraging to see improvements being made on the Canadian border facilities at Champlain-Lacolle, such as the recent announcement of $10 million in funding from the Canadian government. That will mainly be used to improve the commercial and bus-processing facilities.
DELAYS COSTLY
Improvements are a sign the Quebec government is working hard, but it has to do even better, Keating said. In today's just-in-time supply chain systems, it is imperative that trucks can make it through the border in a timely fashion, he said.
Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said that's been accomplished on the U.S. side. He said it is the only crossing on the northern border that has eliminated truck delays.
Douglas said that by his rough estimate, there has been $300 million in infrastructure investment in the corridor, for which the chamber advocated.
"The exciting thing is the best is yet to come," Douglas said. "Our partnership makes this the most exciting bi-national corridor in North America."
SUMMIT PLANS
Quebec Chamber of Commerce Federation President Françoise Bertrand said 162 local chambers are part of the provincial organization.
"We represent 100,000 businesspeople in the province of Quebec," she said.
While most of the commerce between Quebec and New York comes through Montreal, it comes from all parts of the province, Bertrand said.
The upcoming summit -- the fourth in a series started in 2002 -- will provide another opportunity to develop new relationships.
The Quebec City location makes it easier for the businesses spread throughout the province to come together and learn about developments in the corridor.
The agenda includes opening remarks from economic-development officials in Quebec and New York, information about what will make a green corridor and what opportunities will arise from that, how companies balance economic development and environmental concerns, innovation in green buildings, financing opportunities for the environmental sector and talks on making transportation more environmentally friendly.
Keating, Teitelbaum and Bertrand were guest speakers at a Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Forum.
dheath@pressrepublican.com
