Desautels doctoral research recognized for excellence

Nymisha Bandi’s 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 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 Le Devoir. These reserves can temporarily absorb spikes in oil prices.

Spiking oil prices will increase grocery prices

Oil is used for transportation, packaging and fertilizer. It is essential to the global economy, and when its price spikes, just about everything gets more expensive. With global supply throttled by conflict in the Middle East, Quebecers will likely feel the pinch, most noticeably at the grocery store. 

Generative AI changes which job types are vulnerable to automation

Artificial intelligence is expected to reshape the labour market, but its impact won’t be felt evenly across all types of jobs. In Quebec, roughly 59 per cent of jobs are considered highly exposed to AI—meaning the technology is likely to change how people work rather than eliminate roles outright.

Having gender-neutral restrooms at event venues can improve equity and efficiency

For transgender people, choosing which restroom to use at a public event can be a fraught decision, but having gender neutral or all-gender restroom options can help. According to Assistant Professor of Operations Management Setareh Farajollahzadeh, having gender neutral restroom options at major event spaces like stadiums and theatres could help.

Lyft is cheaper than Uber in Montreal—for now

Open the Uber app on your phone, and search for a fare. Then, do the same with Lyft, one of Uber’s competitors. Chances are, Lyft is the cheaper of the two ride-hailing services. Montreal Gazette reporter Harry North found, Lyft was cheaper 8 times out of ten in Montreal. One reason for the difference is that Lyft is still relatively new in Montreal. Uber has been operating in Montreal for about a decade, but Lyft only started doing business in here in 2025.

Many workers are back in the office full-time—and some aren’t happy about it

The world’s pivot to remote work in 2020 happened almost overnight, altering workplace expectations in ways still felt today. The return to the office is happening more slowly, but many of the country’s biggest employers now require workers to be in the office five days each week—and not everyone is happy about it.

Partage Club is an online sharing marketplace that saves its users money

Partage Club is a digital platform designed for item sharing rather than selling. Think of it as Facebook Marketplace—only here, every transaction is about lending, not buying or selling.

Tariffs are hitting Quebec truck makers hard but a 'Buy Canadian’ 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—a move that poses significant challenges for Canadian manufacturers.

Canada’s 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’t 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.

Sustainability Academic Network connects sustainability researchers

Big problems demand collaboration—and climate change is one of the biggest problems we face. The Sustainability Academic Network (SUSAN) is a collaborative place where researchers from around the world can share their work. “I want SUSAN to be a social network for academics to get to know each other and connect their initiatives, so we can all fight climate change more efficiently,” says Prof.

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’t 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—all seemingly at whim. “In the short term, this will be almost like COVID 2.0,” said Saibal Ray, Professor of Operations Management at McGill Desautels.

Coins, cards, or apps - Impact of payment methods on street parking occupancy and search times

Authors: Sena Onen Oz, Mehmet Gumus, and Wei Qi

Publication: Production and Operations Management Forthcoming, Express: first published online 9 May 2025

Managing channel profits with positive demand externalities

Authors: Long Gao, Dawei Jian, Mehmet Gumus, and Birendra K. Mishra