McGuinty's trade missions

After the debate I thought more about what Dalton McGuinty has done for Ontario jobs and I remembered something that didn't come up -- trade missions. These build jobs in Ontario for the present and ties for trade in the future:

http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3082&Itemid=53

McGuinty trade mission to Israel seeks new partnerships ‘to improve our lives’

Tuesday, 01 June 2010

TEL AVIV – “We’re here in Israel to show how we can improve lives with new partnerships in the life sciences,” declared Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty at the David Intercontinental hotel at a ceremony launching his recent trade mission to Israel and the West Bank.

McGuinty led a business delegation of more than 40 delegates to promote Ontario’s life sciences industry to potential corporate partners and to strengthen the province’s already strong economic and cultural ties with Israel. The event took place May 23-26, followed by a visit the next day to the West Bank and Lebanon.

“We are at the apex of a bilateral Canada-Israel relationship,” Canadian Ambassador Jon Allen stated.

Within the first 24 hours of the mission, the following developments occurred:

• Ontario’s ministry of research & innovation and Israel’s ministry of industry & labour renewed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support future collaboration on research, science and technology;

• Axela Inc.(Toronto) signed an agreement with Kangaroo Design and Israeli joint venture partners on next-generation instrument development;

• Axela Inc. signed a Letter of Intent with the Israel ministry of health for the use and distribution of Axela’s breast cancer test;

• Claron Technology (Toronto) and BrainsGate signed an agreement to develop a system allowing experts at a central location to assist surgeons performing surgical procedures at remote locations;

• Profound Medical Inc. (Toronto) and Nanomotion of Israel signed an MOU to advance innovation and commercialization for image-guided, minimally invasive medical devices;

• Queen’s University and Mosaic Crystals Ltd. signed a pace to further research collaboration; and

• York University and Hebrew University reaffirmed their relationship and agreement to continue to develop programs in areas of mutual academic interest.

Israeli Chief Scientist Dr. Eli Opper of the ministry of industry, trade and labour, addressed the crowd of business delegates and government representatives at the David Intercontinental event about Israel’s leading-edge scientific and technological achievements.

“You have to be humble and accept the notion that you can’t go alone, no matter who you are,” he said. “The only answer is co-operation…. We need the knowledge. Co-operation all over the world is a must.”