Mayor Bevilacqua Welcomes Mayor of Eilot, Israel After Successful Business Mission
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Oct. 17, 2013
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua welcomed Udi Gat, the Mayor of Eilot, Israel to Vaughan City Hall yesterday. Mayor Gat is visiting Toronto with the United Jewish Appeal Federation (UJA) and his trip included a meeting in Vaughan.
His visit follows the City of Vaughan business mission to Israel which took place from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6. The mission included a stop in the Eilat/Eilot Region and a meeting with the mayor and representatives of the Renewable Energy Initiative.
“It was a pleasure to welcome Mayor Gat to City Hall and build upon the relationship we established with our recent mission. Israel represents a tremendous business opportunity for Vaughan in the developing industrial, financial and high-tech service sectors,” said Mayor Bevilacqua. “Creating and building strong business relations and increasing our presence on the international stage allows us to remain competitive. The success of this business mission illustrates our commitment to pursuing excellence and demonstrating that Vaughan is a location for business success.”
The Vaughan business mission was led by Mayor Bevilacqua and included Ward 2 Councillor Tony Carella and Ward 5 Councillor Alan Shefman as well as business and educational representatives from Vaughan and the GTA. The City partnered with the UJA, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Government of Israel Economic Mission to Canada, Canada Israel Chamber of Commerce and ColdSpring Commerce.
Highlights of the business mission included:
- More than 150 business meetings with Israeli companies
- City of Vaughan and Centennial College announced a collaborative effort to establish a Trade Development Office in Israel
- Caesarstone, a world leader and manufacturer of quartz countertops with its Canadian head office located in Vaughan, has committed to assisting City staff with exploring the concept of a “Design District” and attracting an International Design Conference
- ABA Science Play in Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, a manufacturer of scientific educational playground equipment, will look to establish a Canadian head office in Vaughan as well as manufacturing
- Innovative Israeli automated parking solution company will make a presentation to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) committee in November, presenting technology and discussing the opportunities for the VMC and how they will partner with local Vaughan-based companies
- Centennial College signed five memorandums of understanding with educational institutions in Israel that will form the basis for future detailed agreements
- York University has developed arrangements with Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and Haifa University for joint research and student exchange programs
Israel is recognized as one of the most dynamic and innovative economies in the world. Centred in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, the mission is part of the City’s Israel International Business Development Program to develop meaningful commercial linkages between Israel and Vaughan.