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Hello, I'm
Rachel Fast
Business analyst · Accounting student · Bilingual EN/FR
Fourth-year Accounting student at Western University who turns messy operational data into decisions. Three co-op terms across fleet analytics, freight operations and healthcare accounts payable. Looking for a Toronto internship for Summer 2027.
I study Management and Organizational Studies with a specialization in Accounting at Western, and I work best where finance, operations and technology overlap.
At Canadian Tire I owned a weekly financial control report on a private fleet of 2,600+ trailers. At Fortigo Freight I audited driver logs to protect the company's safety rating. At ATS Healthcare I ran a full accounts payable cycle with audit-ready records.
I'm bilingual in English and French, a two-time cross-country MVP, and I like work that rewards precision and follow-through.
StudyingBMOS, Accounting
LanguagesEnglish · French
Based inToronto / London, ON
GraduatingApril 2028
Toolkit
Systems I'm comfortable in
Hands-on with the platforms that run fleets, freight and accounts payable.
TMS
Transportation Management Systems
Taught myself TMS configuration, then led onboarding for new employees. Used trip history to find route and backhaul opportunities.
Fortigo Freight
Geofencing
Virtual boundaries that run themselves
Helped map 500+ sites, including stores, distribution centres, ports, rail terminals and 3PL yards, so dwell time and yard checks could be reported automatically.
Canadian Tire
BlackBerry Radar
GPS asset tracking
Worked with yard check, dwell, detention and asset mileage reports, and reconciled GPS data against rental records.
Canadian Tire
Synergize
Accounts payable system
Coded and processed invoices through a full AP cycle, including three-way matching and approval routing. Analyzed a year of its invoice register (about 55,000 invoices).
ATS Healthcare
YardSmart
Yard inventory counts
Matched weekly yard counts against rental company logs to keep the rental trailers report accurate.
Canadian Tire
Advanced Excel
Power BI
Microsoft Access
Samsara GPS
JazzHR
Cetaris
Work experience
Where I've worked
Most recent first. The line fills as you scroll.
Sales Associate, Retail Operations
May 2026 – Present
Canadian Tire Corporation · Toronto, ON
Diagnose customer needs on the sales floor and recommend tailored products, driving repeat business.
Cover the sales floor, customer service desk and checkout, handling returns and product questions.
Balance cash and reconcile tills at shift open and close with strong cash-handling controls.
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Accounts Payable Assistant
May 2026 – Aug 2026
ATS Healthcare Inc. · Vaughan, ON
Coded and processed high-volume vendor invoices in Synergize across a full AP cycle in a fast-paced healthcare setting.
Managed the queue end to end: data entry, three-way matching, approval routing and posting, resolving vendor discrepancies.
Kept audit-ready AP records that supported month-end close and reporting for the Director of Finance.
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Business Analyst Student, Fleet Services
May – Aug 2025
Canadian Tire Corporation · Toronto, ON
Owned the weekly Rental Trailers Report, a financial control tracking fleet utilization against budget for 2,600+ assets serving 500+ sites.
Reconciled GPS telematics with rental budget data to find underutilized trailers accruing idle cost, and recommended reallocations to Operations.
Co-led telematics rollout with Operations and IT, mapping virtual geofences for 500+ sites to enable dwell-time analytics.
Built KPI dashboards and recurring reports for Finance, Operations and Fleet leadership.
Refreshed the weekly On-Time Delivery Power BI dashboard, tracing delayed trailers to their rental company and repair cause.
Presented my term's work to the Transportation and Fleet Services team.
Led the department's Jumpstart campaign and joined the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging committee.
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Rotational Co-op Student
May – Aug 2024
Fortigo Freight Services Inc. · Toronto, ON
Rotated through Dispatch, Recruiting, HR, IT, Safety & Compliance, Fleet Maintenance and Lumber Transload.
Analyzed trip history to surface route optimization and backhaul opportunities that supported margin improvement.
Audited ELD records and Hours-of-Service compliance to protect the company's CVOR standing.
Taught myself TMS configuration, then led onboarding for new employees.
Screened applications, interviewed owner-operator candidates and supported driver orientation using JazzHR.
Scheduled driver repairs and preventive maintenance, and prepared maintenance and rental invoices in Cetaris.
Prepared customer invoices and warehouse pick lists for the new lumber transload line.
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Head Camp Counselor
Jun 2021 – Aug 2023
Camp Ekon · Ontario
Promoted to lead program delivery, daily logistics and safety for campers and staff.
Mentored junior counselors and instructed climbing, kayaking, canoeing and portaging.
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Projects
Work I'm proud of
Each one starts with a messy problem and ends with a decision someone could act on.
Featured · Supply chain × accounting
Retail Working Capital Study
A comparison of Canadian Tire, Loblaw and Dollarama from FY2022 to FY2025, built from public filings. It shows how many days each retailer carries inventory, how long suppliers finance it, and whether margin justifies the difference.
Dollarama 100 vs Loblaw 55 days of inventoryCanadian Tire cut $0.8B of stock
Reconciled GPS telematics against rental budget and chassis records to find idle trailers, then recommended where to reallocate them.
2,600+ assets · 500+ sites
Map image
Canadian Tire · with Ops & IT
Telematics Geofencing
Mapped virtual boundaries for every retail and distribution site so dwell time could be measured, anchoring the division's utilization analytics.
500+ sites mapped
Dashboard image
Canadian Tire · Finance, Ops, Fleet
KPI Dashboards
Turned raw operational data into decision-ready reports, refining format and content with feedback from three teams and fleet leadership.
Built with Excel
Chart image
Fortigo Freight
Route & Backhaul Analysis
Studied historical trips to find route optimization and backhaul opportunities across recurring lanes and presented the findings.
Margin improvement
Team photo
Canadian Tire · Fundraising
Jumpstart Campaign
Rallied a dispersed team around a fundraising goal and finished well ahead of target.
$5,162 raised vs $3,000
Event photo
Students Fight Parkinson's · Western
Parkinson's Awareness Events
Directed fundraising and awareness events end to end: logistics, volunteers and sponsor outreach.
Event Director
Power BI screenshot
Canadian Tire · Fleet Services
On-Time Delivery Dashboard
Cleaned weekly stop data and traced late trailers to the rental company and repair issue behind each delay, then refreshed the Power BI view for the team.
Built in Power BI + Excel
Dashboard screenshot
ATS Healthcare · Accounts Payable
AP Spend & Processing Dashboard
Built a 30-tab Excel dashboard from a year of invoice exports, with duplicate checks, approval-chain flags and a one-tab monthly update, then designed the Power BI model to replace it.
Built in Excel, designed for Power BI
Tracker screenshot
Canadian Tire · Fleet Services
Equipment Repair Tracking
Logged trailer and chassis repairs from yard, vendor and driver emails using standardized codes so nothing was missed and equipment stayed road-ready.
Fleet-wide repair log
Rail flow diagram
Canadian Tire · Transportation
Intermodal Flow Study
Mapped how ocean imports move by rail to distribution centres and how uneven port flows between Vancouver and Halifax shape equipment needs.
Ports · Rail · Chassis
Report cover or photo
Fortigo Freight · Rotational co-op
Internship Rotation Report
Rotated through seven departments of a trucking company, then tied each one back to economics, accounting, HR and data coursework.
7 departments
Slide or presenting photo
Canadian Tire · Fleet Services
Co-op Presentation
Presented the term's work, from GPS reporting to surge planning, to the Transportation and Fleet Services team.
Data into a story
Pitch deck
Group business plan · Western
Flexion IV Business Plan
With a team, built a full plan for a junior golf club startup: landed-cost route from factory to shopper, three-year income statements, cash budget, break-even and financing.
36% contribution margin
Behind the dashboards
Work samples
The working files and slides behind the projects. Click any image to enlarge.
Work sample
Rental company rates and cost comparison
Work sample
Weekly rentals tracking table
Work sample
Road rentals by supplier
Work sample
BlackBerry Radar fleet map across Canada
Work sample
Building a Power BI chart from the AP data
Work sample
KPN Transport: projected annual budget (in French)
Work sample
Long-term vs short-term rentals, 2025 by week
Slide
Flexion IV: landed-cost route, factory to shopper
Slide
Flexion IV: financing mix
Slide
Flexion IV: three-year income statements
Case study · Supply chain · Accounting · Power BI-ready
Who funds the shelf?
Canadian Tire, Loblaw and Dollarama, FY2022 to FY2025, built from public filings.
How many days does each retailer carry inventory, how many days do suppliers finance it, and does the margin justify the difference?
Finding 1
100 vs 55 days
Dollarama holds almost twice Loblaw’s inventory
The extra days are paid for by margin: 45.0% gross margin vs 31.3% at Loblaw. Gross profit per dollar of inventory is nearly identical, about $2.96 vs $3.09.
Finding 2
−$0.8B inventory
Canadian Tire cut 16 days of stock
Inventory fell from $3.2B to $2.4B between FY2022 and FY2025, and days on hand dropped from 99.9 to 83.8 while days payable ended roughly where they started (99.5 to 97.5).
Finding 3
Negative every year
Suppliers finance Loblaw’s shelves
Loblaw’s net trade cycle (days inventory minus days payable) stayed below zero across all four years, so it collects from shoppers before it pays vendors.
Net trade cycle
Days inventory minus days payable. Below zero means suppliers fund the shelf.
The numbers
C$ millions, from public filings. Tap a company to filter the table.
Company
FY
Revenue
Inventory
Payables
DIO
DPO
Net cycle
Gross margin
GMROI
How I calculated it
DIO = inventory ÷ cost of sales × days in year
DPO = payables ÷ cost of sales × days in year
Net trade cycle = DIO − DPO. Negative means suppliers fund the inventory.
GMROI = gross profit ÷ year-end inventory
Year-end balances, and actual days per fiscal year (364, or 371 in 53-week years).
Limits to know
I left out days sales outstanding. Canadian Tire and Loblaw run financial services arms, so their receivables are mostly card and loan balances. Loblaw’s FY2024 balance sheet showed $4.2B of credit card receivables, and none appears in FY2025.
Payables are defined differently by company: trade and other payables (Canadian Tire), trade payables and other liabilities (Loblaw), accounts payable and accrued liabilities (Dollarama). Compare trends more than levels.
Canadian Tire’s cost of producing revenue is a blended figure that includes its financial services business.
Dollarama’s fiscal year ends in late January or early February, so its FY2026 is shown as FY2025 here to line up with the other two. Its payables come from a data aggregator, not the company release.
Sources
Canadian Tire Q4 and full year 2025 release
Canadian Tire Q4 and full year 2023 release
Loblaw Q4 2025 news release
Loblaw Q4 2023 news release
Dollarama fiscal 2026 results release
Dollarama balance sheet history (StockAnalysis)
Analysis by Rachel Fast. Figures in C$ millions from public filings; independent student project, not investment advice.
Case study · Banking & transportation · Credit risk
Can a carrier carry the loan?
A lender’s-eye view of Canadian trucking, built from public figures.
Truck fleets are a big, steady borrower, but their margins are thin. This study asks what a credit analyst would look at: how much cushion does a typical carrier have between what it earns per mile and what it costs to run?
Finding 1
136 insolvencies
Transportation and warehousing, Q2 2026
Up 36% on the same period a year earlier, according to the Canada Truck Operators Association (CTOA). CTOA also says this is not an industry-wide collapse, so the stress is concentrated in particular carriers.
Finding 2
99.5% are small
Many small borrowers, not a few big ones
99.5% of Canadian truck transportation employers have fewer than 100 employees, and 83.4% have fewer than five. For a bank that means lots of small credits, and little room for a bad stretch.
Finding 3
C$14.5B book
BMO is selling its transportation finance arm
On May 11, 2026 BMO announced the sale of its Transportation Finance and Vendor Finance businesses to Stonepeak. The combined loan and lease portfolio was about C$14.5B at March 31, 2026. BMO expects roughly +28 bps of CET1 and keeps about 19.9% of the new entity.
Carrier margin stress test
Move the sliders to see how much cushion one truck has. The defaults use the figures CTOA compared in its September 2026 report.
US$. Default is CTOA’s example flatbed load, Quebec to Chicago.
US$. Default is ATRI’s 2025 average, as cited by CTOA.
Share of miles driven without a load. CTOA compared rates to cost before empty miles, so it starts at 0%.
Applied to the fuel share of cost below.
Assumptions I made
My assumption, not a sourced figure.
My assumption, used only for the yearly figure.
The line shows margin as a share of cost at each rate, with your other settings held. The dot is your current rate.
Margin screen: 10% or more is a comfortable cushion, 3% to 10% is thin, 0% to 3% is stressed, below 0% is losing money. These bands are my own illustration, not a bank’s policy.
BMO’s latest quarter, for context
Q3 fiscal 2026, quarter ended July 31, 2026. From BMO’s results release.
Adjusted net incomeC$2,859M up 19% from C$2,399M
Provision for credit lossesC$722M down from C$797M
CET1 ratio13.0% 13.5% a year earlier
Reported net incomeC$1,750M after a C$962M after-tax charge, mainly goodwill, tied to the sale
What I’d check next as a lender
Break-even rate vs the contracted rate. The calculator gives the rate a carrier needs to cover cost at its empty-mile share.
Empty miles. Every 10% of empty miles raises the break-even rate by about 11%.
Fuel pass-through. Does the contract include a fuel surcharge, or does the carrier absorb diesel moves?
Broker layers and payment days. CTOA flags re-brokering as a payment-risk and margin issue for small carriers.
Cross-border exposure. CTOA noted outbound Canada to U.S. freight fell 12% from August.
Collateral. What the truck would resell for if the loan went bad.
Limits to know
This is an illustrative model of one truck, not a fleet and not BMO data. I have no access to any bank’s credit methodology.
ATRI’s cost figure is a U.S. benchmark. CTOA itself says it is not a Canadian break-even rate.
Fuel share and annual miles are my assumptions and are labelled as such.
The ATRI cost is an average, so the cushion for any real carrier will differ. Margin before empty miles overstates the cushion.
The insolvency figure is from CTOA’s report; one outlet described it as up from the previous quarter as well as the year before, so I quote only the year-on-year comparison.
Analysis by Rachel Fast. Independent student project using public sources; an illustrative model, not BMO’s methodology and not investment advice.
Awards & recognition
Honours & credentials
2024–25
Dean's Honour List
Western University
2023–now
Toronto Transportation Club Scholarship
Selected as the 2022/23 recipient: $2,000 a year, renewable for up to four years. Featured in TTC News (Winter 2024 and Fall 2025) and now a club volunteer
2023
Western Admission Scholarship
Western University
2023
Two-time Cross-Country MVP
Humberside Collegiate, Junior 2020 and Senior 2023
2023
Ontario Scholar & Centennial Scholar
80%+ average; four-year Honor Roll
2023
DELF B1 French
France Éducation international (May 2023), plus Honors Certificate of Bilingual Studies
Certificate
Dean's Honour List, Western University, 2024–2025
Photo
2023 scholarship recipient board, Toronto Transportation Club
Certificate
Centennial Scholar, Humberside Collegiate (2023)
Certificate
Honours Certificate of Bilingual Studies, French Immersion (TDSB)
Certificate
Ontario Scholar, Government of Ontario (2023)
Writing
A handwritten journal entry from my French Immersion studies
Diploma
Ontario Secondary School Diploma, June 2023
Analytics & tools
Advanced Excel, Power BI, KPI dashboards, variance analysis, data reconciliation, Synergize, TMS, Samsara GPS, BlackBerry Radar, YardSmart, JazzHR
Certifications
Accounting Fundamentals (CFI, 2024) · Supply Chain Management & Capacity Planning (Alison, 2024) · National Lifeguard & First Aid/CPR-C (2022)
Languages
English (native) · French (proficient, DELF B1)
Kind words
What people say
Excerpts from reference letters, emails and messages from Fortigo, ATS Healthcare and the Toronto Transportation Club, and a camper’s note.
Her excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, positive and enthusiastic attitude, and reliability.
Former history teacher, Humberside Collegiate Institute
She can be counted on to work hard and show a good example to others.
Former history teacher, Humberside Collegiate Institute
Rachel took her role seriously and with enthusiasm.
Parent of a child I cared for in 2020
I can confidently attest to her exceptional work ethic, leadership qualities, and dedication to service.
Meg Doherty, Director, Camp Ekon (April 2023)
Her dependability, trustworthiness, and ability to work well under pressure were critical to the success of the camp.
Meg Doherty, Director, Camp Ekon (April 2023)
I really want to be like you. I look up to you.
Handwritten note from a camper, July 2023
You did an excellent job in all the areas of the business and everyone spoke very positively about your presence and contribution.
Elias Demangos, President & CEO, Fortigo Freight Services (September 2024)
You have a very bright future ahead of you in the industry.
Kirk Dickson, VP Business Development, Fortigo Freight Services (August 2024)
Thank you for all your help, you crushed it! Hope to see you again very soon.
Stacey Large, Immediate Past President, Toronto Transportation Club (message after an event)
Your positive attitude, dedication, and willingness to help have made a lasting impact.
Ruchi Sharma, AP Supervisor, ATS Healthcare (August 2026)
In my own words
Reflections & writing
What I took from each internship, and two pieces published in TTC News.
Canadian Tire · Fleet Services
In a high-stakes logistics environment, accurate data is the only defence against volatility.
Fortigo Freight · Rotational co-op
A truck does not move simply because a driver turns a key. It moves because of synchronized effort across every department.
Published · TTC News, Winter 2024 · 2023 Scholarship Recipients
My career aspirations lie within the field of business and management. I hope to make a positive impact by working in a leadership capacity, contributing to the growth and success of organizations.
Published · TTC News, Fall 2025 · Spotlight on Education
Receiving the Toronto Transportation Scholarship before my first university lecture was more than financial support. It was a profound vote of confidence that reshaped my entire academic journey.
Leadership & involvement
Beyond the classroom
Clubs and volunteering alongside my degree.
University Tea Club - Finance DirectorOversee club finances, including budgeting and expenditure tracking, to ensure the strategic allocation of funds for events and operational needs.
Toronto Transportation Club - VolunteerAssisted with on-site operations at major events, such as the Annual Dinner and Ladies Lunch, contributing to guest services, registration, table arrangement, and fundraising efforts.
Students Fight Parkinson's Disease Club - Event DirectorSpearheading and managing events aimed at raising awareness and funds for Parkinson's disease research, demonstrating strong organizational and leadership.
Event photo
Event photo
Beyond work
Outside the spreadsheet
The things that keep me sharp and shaped how I lead.
Running photo
Living up to my last name
Two-time cross-country MVP (Junior 2020, Senior 2023). Running taught me pacing, consistency and showing up on hard days.
Canoe or climbing
Outdoors & tripping
Rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing and multi-day portaging, from camp days and beyond.
Tea club event
University Tea Club
As Finance Director I manage the budget, track spending and decide how funds are allocated.
Volunteering
Community & mentoring
Boys and Girls Club mentoring, Toronto Transportation Club events and Parkinson's fundraising.
Artwork
Drawing & colour
I make art by hand, like this citrus study. It is a slow, tactile counterweight to spreadsheets. More in the sketchbook below.
Sketchbook
Drawn by hand
A small sample of drawings and paintings. Tap one to enlarge it.
Artwork
Portrait study
Artwork
Eye study
Artwork
Studio drawing in progress
Artwork
Beetle illustrations
Artwork
Cowboy cat
Artwork
Octopus
Artwork
Handmade birthday card
Artwork
Angels study
Artwork
Portrait sketch
Artwork
Dolphin
Artwork
Ink doodle canvas
Artwork
My name in lettering
Moments
A little more me
Photos from work, school, races and trips. Tap one to enlarge it.
Add photo
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Camp & team
More moments
Summers at camp and seasons on the cross-country team.
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Morning dance at camp
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Staff team-building at camp
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Canoes at the dock, end of day
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Canadian XC Championships, Ottawa, 2021A moving moment, with a slow-mo replay
Off the clock
Life outside work
Events, trips and the small things that make a day.
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Volunteering at the TTC 110th Annual Dinner
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On the water at camp
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Western’s University College tower
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Recreating a famous painting at home
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Under the sharks at the aquarium
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Camping trip, canoe up for the night
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A new friend on the walk home
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A finished LEGO build
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Out and about
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Toronto at night
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A café and a chess game
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Resting with friends on a trip
Contact
Let's talk about Summer 2027.
I'm looking for a finance, analytics or operations internship in Toronto. Tap an email or number to copy it.