TORONTO — The Office of Premier Kathleen Wynne unveiled details today regarding the Premier’s business mission to Israel and the West Bank that will focus on establishing Ontario “as a top innovation and knowledge economy partner and investment destination for businesses.”
Wynne announced the trip’s details at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, alongside representatives from the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), a provincially funded non-profit research centre that promotes Ontario as a world leader in brain research, commercialization and care.
The group’s foundations were laid during the 2010 Ontario mission to Israel.
The Premier will visit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the West Bank — including Ramallah and Bethlehem — during the five-day mission that departs May 15. She will meet with business leaders, innovators and government officials to strengthen ties and encourage new investments and partnerships in Ontario.
READ: A DRAMATIC INNOVATION IN THE CANADA-ISRAEL RELATIONSHIP
“I look forward to strengthening our political, economic and cultural ties on my first mission to the Middle East,” Wynne said in a statement. “We share many of the same priorities — including an interest in developing a strong innovation economy that can produce the next generation of technological and life-science breakthroughs.”
As both Ontario and Israel are leaders in the life sciences field — in 2012 alone Ontario’s life sciences sector generated more than $38 billion in revenue — the mission will provide opportunities for both to learn from each other. Delegates that will accompany Wynne will include representatives from businesses looking to pursue trade opportunities in Israel, institutions seeking to collaborate with Israeli firms on research and development projects, and innovation leaders who want to work with Israel on cutting-edge technological projects.
According to a press release issued by the Premier’s Office, “Israel is a priority market for Ontario for trade and research.”
