Desautels doctoral research recognized for excellence
Nymisha Bandi鈥檚 doctoral thesis has been recognized for its excellence by the Group for Research in Decision Analysis (GERAD). Her research was co-supervised by Professors Maxime Cohen and Saibal Ray, who nominated her work in the best doctoral thesis category of the 11th GERAD Scholarship Competition.
Fuel inventories have help mitigate oil price spikes
The war in Iran is pushing up gas prices, adding pressure on Quebec drivers. However, prices at the pump have been volatile聽rising, falling, and then climbing again.
One factor behind this uneven pattern is gasoline inventories held by energy companies, explained Saibal Ray in an interview with聽Le Devoir. These reserves can temporarily absorb spikes in oil prices.
Spiking oil prices will increase grocery prices
Oil is used for transportation,聽packaging聽and fertilizer. It is essential to the global economy, and when its price spikes,聽just about everything聽gets more expensive. With global supply throttled by conflict in the Middle East, Quebecers will聽likely feel聽the pinch, most noticeably at the grocery store.聽
Tariffs are hitting Quebec truck makers hard but a 'Buy Canadian鈥� push could help
On November 1, 2025, the United States implemented a 25% tariff on foreign imports of medium and heavy-duty trucks and truck parts鈥攁 move that poses significant challenges for Canadian manufacturers.
Canada鈥檚 truck building industry is smaller than the auto sector, but the tariffs will nevertheless have an effect on truck makers across the country.
Ottawa threatens to sue auto maker Stellantis for violating funding agreements
When the auto maker Stellantis announced its plan to shift production of the Jeep Compass SUV from Brampton, Ontario to Belvidere, Illinois, the Government of Canada didn鈥檛 take the news sitting down. It threatened to sue the multinational company, saying that the shift violated previous agreements between the multinational automotive company and the government, which stipulated the automaker had to maintain its Canadian footprint.
Tariff loophole fuelling Canadian warehouse sector
Tariffs drive up prices for businesses, but some companies are finding a creative loophole to avoid some US tariffs. When a company imports a tariffed good, it pays a tariff. But it doesn鈥檛 pay a tariff if the goods are only passing through on the way to a final destination. This creates an incentive for US companies to store inventory in Canada. They can park products here until they sell them, and only pay tariffs on goods that are actually bound for the US market.
Tariffs are remaking global supply chains in real time
The imposition of tariffs on an ever changing array of products is disrupting global supply chains. Businesses are scrambling to reroute shipments to avoid the hefty fees they could incur as tariffs exceeding 100% are imposed, delayed, or removed entirely鈥攁ll seemingly at whim. 鈥淚n the short term, this will be almost like COVID 2.0,鈥� said Saibal Ray, Professor of Operations Management at 涩里番 Desautels.
Saibal Ray and Anna Kim earn prestigious university awards
Two researchers at Desautels were among the academics recognized by 涩里番 with prestigious internal awards for their outstanding scholarship and research excellence. Associate Professor Anna Kim聽was among the eleven associate and assistant professors honoured with a William Dawson Scholar award, which recognized the demonstrated potential to become a global leader in their field.
涩里番 Desautels professors and lecturers recognized at Faculty Awards
The 涩里番 Desautels Faculty of Management acknowledges the vital contributions of research, teaching, service, and public engagement in inspiring future leaders. Through our annual Faculty Awards, we celebrate the exceptional achievements of our faculty members across various programs and disciplines. This year, we are proud to honour the following distinguished individuals:
Tarifflation is already driving up consumer electronics prices
Tariffs impose costs on businesses who import goods, and when businessese pass those costs along to consumers, prices go up. This phenomenon is colloquially known as tarifflation, and in this tariff-happy economic moment, we are already seeing its effects. Acer鈥攁 Taiwanese electronics company鈥攔ecently raised its prices, and attributed the price increases to tariffs.
Common household goods could be among those most affected by US tariffs
With the spectre of sweeping tariffs sending ripples through Canada鈥檚 economy, the prices of some goods will be much more affected than others. Cheaper household goods like shampoo and toiletries could be among those most affected, according to Saibal Ray, a Professor of Operations Management at 涩里番 Desautels.
US steel and aluminum tariffs will hurt aluminum-dependant towns in Quebec
Imposing a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum could disrupt supply chains and drive up prices for everything from auto parts to canned goods. But for some towns in Quebec, the impact could be even more disruptive. The aluminum sector employs more than 40,000 people in Quebec, and the economies of some small towns are almost entirely reliant on aluminum production.
US steel and aluminum tariffs could stifle investment in Quebec aluminum sector
Aluminum-producing towns in Quebec are bracing for the impact of new US tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum. Quebec accounts for about 90 per cent of Canada鈥檚 aluminum production, and the tariffs will affect more than just aluminum producers. 鈥淭he tariffs may not lead to layoffs at aluminum plants,鈥� said Professor of Operations Management Saibal Ray in an interview with Global News.
US tariffs to hit natural resource-producing communities hard
US tariffs will hit the Canadian economy hard, but individual industries will experience unique effects. In the case of aluminum production, much of Canada鈥檚 3.2 million metric tons of aluminum that Canada produces each year could be re-routed to Europe. But some communities could still be hit hard and other places that harvest natural resources won鈥檛 be able to find other buyers so easily.
Inflationary effects of possible US tariffs are unknown, but could already be affecting consumer behaviour
With the spectre of tariffs looming over the Canadian economy, should you hurry to buy an appliance before the added costs get built into their prices? There is no clear answer, and it is not yet known how much tariffs could affect prices, but according to Professor Saibal Ray, the way people think about tariffs could be as important as the tariffs themselves.
