Economics, Logistics & Regulatory

 

InterVISTAS assists clients with a comprehensive range of economic and regulatory services:

Economic Impact Studies

Many organizations - such as airports, ports, transit systems, airlines, railways, tourism organizations, convention centers, cultural industries, and governments - rely on economic impact assessments as an important element to:

  • Enable decision-makers to better understand what projects, facilities, or even industries mean to the economy
  • Measure the impact of economic activities and investments to support funding applications
  • Combine reliable data analysis with clear and intuitive descriptions
  • Facilitate an understanding of various stakeholder groups of the value of capital projects, operations, facilities or industries
  • Create a public understanding of the benefit of specific activities

InterVISTAS has considerable experience in preparation, presentation and use of these studies which have successfully been used by clients in regulatory proceedings and reviews and before courts of law.

InterVISTAS' approaches include both conventional "number" methodologies as well as innovative techniques that result in more intuitively understandable information and reinforce the credibility of traditional approaches.

Sample Results

These are the results of some InterVISTAS' Micro Economic Impact Studies:

  • Every Time a transpacific 747 lands, it creates almost a full person year of direct employment.
  • Servicing the arrival of a single containership generates roughly 3 and a half person years of direct employment

CONTACT

Ian Kincaid
Doris Mak
Steve Martin

Expert Witness Services

InterVISTAS provides support to clients facing litigation or regulatory reviews.

Examples of expert witness services that we have provided include:

  • Witness in application for authorization for mergers.
  • Testimony regarding whether an airport abused alleged monopoly powers in a land development dispute.
  • Witness services before a court or competition tribunal regarding an abuse of dominance application.
  • Witness services in predatory pricing disputes.
  • Witness services regarding disputed designation of an air carrier to an international route.
  • Testimony regarding economic principles governing airport operation and planning.
  • Testimony regarding economic competitive conditions in airline markets.
  • Witness services in an airline acquisition hearing before a competition authority.
  • Testimony regarding proper planning horizons for airport planning decisions.
  • Testimony regarding proper discount rates to use in discounting amounts for damages in a civil litigation.
  • Assistance in labor arbitrations.
  • Assistance with development of position papers for government hearings reviewing various aspects of aviation policy.
  Dr. Michael Tretheway, President InterVISTAS Consulting Inc. and Chief Economist of the InterVISTAS Consulting Group, is widely recognized as leading transportation economist. In numerous cases, Dr. Tretheway has appeared as expert witness before courts, tribunals, regulatory agencies and private arbitrators in North America, Australia/New Zealand and before the European Union.

CONTACT

Mike Tretheway

Forecasting Services

Reliable forecasts of traffic demand are critical input to strategic and master planning, budgeting and revenue projection, operations planning, facility development and capital investment. InterVISTAS provides a range of forecasting services, covering short-term and longer term. Our specialty in aviation traffic forecasting includes passengers, aircraft operations and cargo activity.

The most common services we offer to our clients are:

  • Derived Forecasts or Activity Based Forecasts
  • Production of New Forecasts or Major Forecast Update
  • Critical Review of Existing Forecasts

CONTACT

Ian Kincaid
Mike Tretheway
Kenneth Currie

Regulatory Services

Regulation has long been a major focus of industries such as aviation, telecommunications, electric power generation, rail and bus transportation and natural gas distribution. Many of these industries are experiencing changes in their regulatory regimes, such as a switch to price cap regulation. InterVISTAS offers clients a range of economic and regulatory services. These are intended to assist clients in planning studies, forecasting, litigation, and public relations.

Regulatory services include:

  • Review of regulatory regimes
  • Design of regulatory regimes
  • Assistance with the development of pricing policies
  • Establishment of rates and charges
  • Expert witness services for regulatory proceedings

CONTACT

Mike Tretheway
Rob Andriulaitis
Steve Martin

Social Cost Benefit & Multiple Account Studies

Major public infrastructure projects have a significant public interest. They not only require a major commitment of public funds but also have positive and negative impacts which must be quantified and evaluated.

InterVISTAS Consulting Inc. provides support to clients requiring cost benefit analysis or multiple accounts evaluation studies for environmental regulatory reviews or when soliciting public funding or policy support. There are two major methodologies:

I: Social Cost Benefit Analysis (SCBA)

This methodology is strongly favoured by economists. It quantifies and values positive external benefits, as well as negative external costs. Impacts spread over a number of years are quantified, valued and discounted to produce a net present value of the project, or a social benefit-cost ratio.

II: Multiple Account Evaluation (MAE)

This methodology is typically favoured by professional planners as it preserves and displays details on the individual impacts. Values are not summed up to produce a final net impact number.

CONTACT

Ian Kincaid
Mike Tretheway

Strategic Advocacy

InterVISTAS' experts assist clients in maneuvering through today's policies and legislation that have an impact on their business tomorrow. Services include:

  • Legislative Proposals and Funding Requests
  • Policy Initiatives & Regulatory Change
  • Communications Plans
  • Direct Advocacy with Key Decision Makers
  • Stakeholder Analysis
  • Preparation of Economic Impact, Social Cost Benefit of Multiple Accounts Evaluation Studies
  • Review of Economic Regulation
  • Policy Development
  • Advocacy for Infrastructure Funding
  • Meeting Facilitation
  • Community/Stakeholder Consultation

CONTACT

Mike Tretheway

Strategic Planning

InterVISTAS helps clients establish a clear vision of the future and develop effective strategies and concrete action plans to overcome challenges affecting their business, be it regulatory, process, community or competition related. Services include:

  • Strategic Plans
  • Strategic Workshops
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Tourism Development Plans

CONTACT

Paul Ouimet

Clients

We serve airlines, airports, aircraft manufacturers, port authorities, gateway councils, transit operators, cultural and entertainment industries, organizations, governments and investors. Our staff has assisted many clients with economic services, including the following:

Aviation

  • Association of Asia Pacific Airlines
  • Boeing
  • Cathay Pacific Airways
  • International Air Transport Association (IATA)
  • National Business Aviation Association
  • Winair

Airports

  • Melbourne International Airport
  • Washington Dulles Airport
  • Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
  • San Diego International Airport
  • Vancouver International Airport
  • Ottawa International Airport
  • Hamilton International Airport
  • Edmonton International Airport
  • Winnipeg International Airport
  • Cranbrook Airport
  • Comox Valley Airport and Regional Tourism Industry
  • Smithers Airport
  • Kamloops International Airport
  • Gander International Airport

Gateways

  • U.S. Law Firms
  • Transport Canada
  • BC Trade and Investment Office
  • BC Sports Hall and Fame Museum
  • Greater Vancouver Gateway Council
  • Southern Ontario Gateway Council
  • Halifax Gateway Council
  • Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency (ACOA)
  • Manitoba International Gateway Council

Ports

  • Port Metro Vancouver
  • Port of Nanaimo

Rail & Transit

  • CN Rail
  • Translink
  • Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority

Tourism

  • Ministries for Tourism in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan
  • Council of Tourism Associations of BC (COTA)
  • Tourism Richmond
  • Tourism Kelowna

Other

  • BC Film Industry
  • BC Ministry of Economic Development
  • Justice Institute of BC
  • Telus Communications