For Immediate Release
April 15th, 2016
Mayor Crombie Departs for Investment Mission to Japan
Mississauga – Our Economic Development Office (EDO) Investment Mission to Japan is an important opportunity to strengthen relations with a leading target market and to continue our efforts to attract and retain foreign-direct investment, Mayor Bonnie Crombie said today.
Mayor Crombie made the comments from Pearson Airport prior to departing for an Investment Mission to Japan that will include meetings in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Kariya. The Investment Mission has been planned in collaboration with EDO, the Ontario Government and the Canadian Government. All three governments have identified Japan as a target market for Mississauga, Ontario and Canada’s economic interests.
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Trade and Investment Value Between Canada and Japan (2014) |
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| Canada’s merchandise exports to Japan | $10,733 million |
| Canada’s merchandise imports from Japan | $13,295 million |
| Canadian direct investment in Japan | $6,052 million |
| Japanese investment in Canada | $17,479 million |
Source: Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, Japan Market Access Plan 2015-2017
Mayor Crombie will meet with business and government leaders including participating in a panel discussion with Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura. Osaka, with a metropolitan population of nearly 20 million people, is a global life sciences hub. Mississauga is Canada’s second largest life sciences cluster by employment and continues to attract international awareness and investment
Mayor Crombie recently joined Ontario Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure Minister, Brad Duguid, who announced the Province is investing up to $4.22 million in the Baylis Medical Company, a multinational company to support a research and development expansion project at the company’s Mississauga manufacturing plant that will increase exports, create 84 new jobs and retain 194 positions.
Mississauga has over 100 Japanese companies, more than any other city in Canada. Servicing Mississauga’s relatively large share of Japanese companies through businesses retention and expansion activities remains an ongoing priority for the EDO team of professionals.
Mayor Crombie added “I am proud that Mississauga is home to a number of globally-respected, successful and innovative Japanese-based companies like Panasonic Canada,” citing that meetings have been scheduled in Tokyo with Panasonic representatives. The City’s Panasonic footprint includes three different locations and is the second largest employer of any Japanese company in Mississauga.
In the past, EDO and former Mayor Hazel McCallion’s initiatives for the Japanese market were largely related to business retention and expansion, Mayor Crombie said, adding that “I am committed to building on Mayor McCallion’s work through the Mississauga International Partnership Program Committee (MIPP).”
Launched in 2015, MIPP is a working group committed to leveraging Mississauga’s international expertise and cultural diversity to help retain and attract foreign-direct investment. Mayor Crombie serves as Honorary Chair. Members consist of multicultural representatives from either business, culture or other non-profit international business promotion organizations in Mississauga.
Beyond economic development, Mayor Crombie will head to Kariya to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Mississauga-Kariya sister-city relationship, signed by Mayor McCallion in 1981. In 1992, Kariya Park was officially opened in Mississauga to honour this twinning relationship. The Mississauga Friendship Association (MFA) was established in 1993 to promote, foster and maintain this sister-city relationship. Last year, Mayor Crombie welcomed students and teachers from Kariya Kita High School visiting on a cultural exchange.
Throughout the Investment Mission, Mayor Crombie will be updating the public about her meetings through blogs posted on the Mayor’s Facebook page and www.mayorcrombie.ca. Mayor Crombie will also be actively tweeting from Japan via @BonnieCrombie.ca.
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