Capt. Allan Gray, President & CEO, Halifax Port Authority

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Capt. Allan Gray

This past year is one most of us will be happy to have in the rear-view mirror.

One of the things that COVID-19 taught us in Halifax is the importance of strategic planning and communication. By the time the first wave of COVID-19 came crashing over Nova Scotia and North America in mid-March, we were already holding daily briefings with our senior team, terminal operators, and other strategic partners within the Port of Halifax, including marine service providers, Canadian National Rail officials, health officials, and our regulatory agency, Transport Canada. Doing so put everyone on the same page and allowed us to be able to adapt and respond quickly.

As this was happening, our IT department was able to capitalize on upgrades to our digital infrastructure that provided our workforce with the digital capabilities to work from anywhere. From a customer perspective, the temporary closure of our administration building to protect against the spread of COVID-19 was seamless, and through the initial stages of the pandemic, we maintained schedule reliability while protecting the health and safety of our workforce. There was not one reported case of COVID-19 amongst our staff or terminal workers in Halifax.

Consistent and reliable service through Halifax meant goods continued to flow, and though working with those same critical partners, we were able to fast-track emergency supplies and equipment through the Port of Halifax. Looking ahead, providing our core administrative team the ability to work remotely as required will help to ensure that critical goods keep moving through our international gateway, even during those situations that force an unexpected or unplanned change.