Vaughan showcases its world-class status at Collision 2022

June 28, 2022 3:00 p.m.
​Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua highlights Vaughan’s booming healthcare, life sciences and technology industries

Vaughan is on the leading edge of the growing innovation economy and is a global leader in the healthcare, health-tech and Smart City industries. Last week, during the 2022 Collision Conference, the City of Vaughan joined Mackenzie Health, York University, ventureLAB, LGC’s Toronto Research Chemicals and Sterling Industries in the York Region Pavilion. The City participated to promote strategic city-building projects, learn best practices from leading municipalities and organizations, and showcase Vaughan’s booming healthcare, life sciences and technology sectors.

Leveraging a dedicated kiosk on the trade show floor, the City’s Economic Development team connected with conference attendees, including representatives of multi-national firms, high-growth companies, local and international governments, public sector organizations and investment agencies. City staff will build on the conference’s success and continue to raise Vaughan’s profile by meeting with identified international investment agencies, consulates and public sector members to pursue opportunities to enhance international trade and partnership. In collaboration with its nine municipalities, including Vaughan, York Region hosted the #YRtech Pavilion to promote the innovative partnership and business expansions thriving within the region’s tech ecosystem.

On day three of the conference, during the City of Vaughan-led presentation in the York Region Pavilion, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua outlined Vaughan’s approach to 21st-century healthcare that meets the city’s current needs and forecasts for future growth. He was joined by Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO, Mackenzie Health; Rhonda Lenton, President and Vice-Chancellor, York University; Matt Skynner, Chief Operating Officer, ventureLAB; Michael St. Pierre, Executive Vice President and General Manager, TRC’s Toronto Research Chemicals and Julian Scarfe, Director of Marketing and Communications, Sterling Industries. During his remarks, Mayor Bevilacqua highlighted recent announcements that demonstrate the continued growth of healthcare, health technology and life sciences in Vaughan, including:

  • LGC – a leading global life science tools company – is bringing its new Toronto Research Chemicals subsidiary to Vaughan, which will create new jobs in the area when it opens in 2024.
  • a partnership between ventureLAB and Sterling Industries to establish a $2.5 million MedTech lab and incubator in Vaughan for hardware and semiconductor companies.
  • continued development of the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct (VHCP) into a world-class destination for health and healthcare innovation.

In partnership with Mackenzie Health, York University and ventureLAB, Vaughan leads the development of the VHCP, a first-of-its-kind initiative to transform the lands surrounding Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital into an epicentre of healthcare excellence. The VHCP will solidify Vaughan as a destination of choice for health and healthcare delivery, education, research, innovation and commercialization. This unique partnership aims to work together to bring growth and new jobs to Vaughan. Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital opened its doors as a full-service community hospital in June 2021. It is Canada’s first smart hospital, providing world-class healthcare and creating thousands of new jobs. It serves as the anchor of the VHCP and is among the many transformational initiatives driving Vaughan’s trajectory to new and unprecedented heights.

In addition to the City’s partnership-driven approach to city-building and healthcare, Vaughan’s Smart City initiatives are fundamental to delivering efficient, innovative programs and services. In 2018, Council established the Mayor’s Smart City Advisory Task Force to advance a culture of knowledge and pursue continuous improvement. The mandate of this task force is to continue to provide advice to Council and City staff. Smart City initiatives help improve how data is collected, analyzed and used to elevate the quality of life and enhance the delivery of services for the Vaughan community. As a Smart City, Vaughan was the first Canadian municipality to join US Ignite – a non-profit organization that promotes international leadership to develop new technology applications. Additionally, the City has been awarded the Platinum ISO 37120 certification from the World Council on City Data (WCCD) the past five consecutive years. This is the highest level of certification from the WCCD, a global leader in standardized data that helps create smart, sustainable, resilient and prosperous cities.

The City’s participation in the Collision Conference fulfils the Economic Prosperity, Investment and Social Capital priority in the Council-approved 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan. It also aligns with the City’s commitment to ignite economic prosperity, social capital and celebrate Vaughan as an entrepreneurial city. To learn more about the City’s participation in the Collision Conference and how Vaughan continues to be a healthcare and Smart City leader, visit vaughanbusiness.ca/Collision. To stay informed on the City’s latest tourism, business resources and initiatives, sign up for the Economic Development department’s eNewsletters at vaughanbusiness.ca/enewsletters.

QUOTE(S)

“Vaughan has arrived at its rightful place as an epicentre of healthcare innovation, and we were excited to participate in the 2022 Collision Conference. Our city is a destination of choice for the trailblazers shaping the frontier of health and technology. The growth of the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct, in partnership with Mackenzie Health, York University and ventureLAB, is one of our most-innovative city-building projects. I want to thank Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO, Mackenzie Health, Rhonda Lenton, President and Vice-Chancellor, York University and Matt Skynner, Chief Operating Officer, ventureLAB, for their ongoing collaboration on a vision that has solidified Vaughan’s position as a global leader in health technology and life sciences. I also want to thank Michael St. Pierre, Executive Vice President and General Manager, TRC’s Toronto Research Chemicals and Julian Scarfe, Director of Marketing and Communications, Sterling Industries, for joining us in the York Region Pavilion at the conference. With significant investments like the relocation of LGC’s Toronto Research Chemicals company to Vaughan and ventureLAB and Sterling Industries’ MedTech-focused Hardware Catalyst Initiative, we are rapidly transforming into a knowledge economy and reaffirming our status as a world-class city.”

- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua

QUICK FACTS

  • The City’s 2019 Israel trade mission was an opportunity to meet with government and business leaders, study innovative best practices in important industries, including health technology, and advance Vaughan’s promising city-building agenda.
  • The VHCP will be a leading medical innovation hub, representing a collaboration between top educators, researchers, practitioners and business incubators. The VHCP will have a broad mandate encompassing community health innovation in the social, technological and business spheres. It will be a destination of choice for research, education, innovation, commercialization and services in healthcare delivery, informatics and wellness, focused on a unique “care without walls” approach.
  • York Region is Canada’s second-largest technology hub, with more than 4,500 technology companies, 54,000 businesses and 600,000 jobs.

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