Mayor Bevilacqua welcomes delegation from Latin America
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Vaughan continues to
strengthen relations with international leaders
The City of Vaughan
continues to cement its reputation as a leading destination to ignite economic
and cultural opportunities, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said as he addressed a delegation of diplomats and dignitaries representing Latin
American nations.
Fuerza Latina Community Services, a not-for-profit organization based
in Vaughan, organized the visit to Vaughan City Hall. The group provides an
array of services to the Latin American community and runs the Vaughan Latin
Festival, the Fuerza Latina Fundraising Gala and Hispanic Heritage Month as
part of Vaughan’s Culture Days programming.
“The much-anticipated Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place in
October, fosters a sense of community awareness and appreciation for the diversity
of cultures and faiths that thrive throughout our city,” Mayor Bevilacqua said.
The delegation was comprised of diplomats from Panama, Colombia,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Uruguay. His Worship Felix
Mora, justice of the peace with the Ontario Court of Justice, also took part. Justice
Mora is Chilean-Canadian and is the only Hispanic justice of the peace in
Canada. Nearly 18,000 Vaughan residents are of Caribbean and Central and South
American descent.
“Sound public finances, fiscal transparency and Service Excellence are
fundamental to our efforts to attract, retain and ignite new job-creating
opportunities and to elevate Vaughan’s place as an economic powerhouse,” Mayor
Bevilacqua said, adding that “since 2010, Vaughan has issued building permits,
representing up to $11 billion, which includes more than $1 billion in permits
issued in 2018.” Mayor Bevilacqua reiterated that the City signed an agreement
with Bell Canada to bring a next-generation fibre optic broadband network to
local residences and businesses in Vaughan.
Since 2010, Vaughan has led with an economic growth rate of four per
cent – far outpacing Ontario and Canada – and has seen the creation of more
than 60,000 new jobs. Over 90 per cent of the foreign-owned companies operating
in York Region are based in Vaughan and the city’s southern York Region
neighbouring communities.
Important foreign-direct investments that choose Vaughan to remain
ahead of the global competition include KPMG, Harley-Davidson Inc. and
London-based PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which is
expanding to the new PwC-YMCA Tower in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC),
the city’s emerging downtown. In January 2019, Mayor Bevilacqua announced that
Niagara University (NU) had established its new bi-national site in the VMC. NU
is the first university in Vaughan and York Region.
Under Mayor Bevilacqua’s leadership, Vaughan continues to strengthen
relations with international leaders. In April 2019, he delivered a keynote
address at
the Consular Corps Association of Toronto (CCAT) whose membership includes consuls general representing more than 100 different
nations.
Over the last year, Mayor Bevilacqua has welcomed representatives from
Ukraine, Ghana, Vietnam and Cambodia to Vaughan City Hall. His recent address
to the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce Mayor’s Luncheon welcomed members of the
diplomatic corps representing 14 countries.
QUOTE
“I want to recognize and offer my sincerest appreciation to the
leadership of Fuerza Latina Community Services for the opportunity to address this
delegation of experienced, professional and accomplished diplomats and
dignitaries. Vaughan is blessed and enriched by the diversity of our citizens.
People from around the world chose Vaughan to build a better, more promising
life for their families.
Nearly half of our population was born abroad. One hundred and five different
languages are spoken in Vaughan. Multiculturalism
allows us to further strengthen global connections both culturally and
economically. As we look toward our community’s promising future, we will
continue to unleash Vaughan’s potential as a world-class city.”
-
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
QUICK FACTS
- The City of Vaughan’s vision, mission and values are entrenched in the 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan.
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