For Immediate Release
June 23rd, 2017
Mayor Crombie, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Taskforce Discuss Progress
The goal of the Mayor’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Taskforce is to work toward transforming Mississauga into a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, Mayor Bonnie Crombie said today during a conference call with members of the Mayor’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Taskforce – a working group of representatives from business, academia and the public sector.
Mayor Crombie said “today is an opportunity to update taskforce members about ongoing initiatives from the Mayor’s Office and our Economic Development Office that are fulfilling the mandate of this taskforce.”
“Innovation is equally important to government, as it is to business,” Mayor Crombie added. “Like entrepreneurs, we need to think outside the box. We need to come up with innovative solutions to build a 21st century economy for Mississauga’s promising future.”
Taskforce members were briefed on and discussed initiatives including:
- Chief Science Officer Submission
- First Look 2017 – Angel Investor Networking Event
- City of Mississauga’s Life Sciences Cluster Strategy
- Innovation Superclusters
- Mississauga’s delegation to 2017 BIO International Conference – one of the largest global events for the biotechnology industry
Members raised the importance of creating a “culture of innovation” with the expansion and growth of co-working spaces – environments that bring together like-minded entrepreneurs with similar values, goals, priorities and who can share best practices for professional development and business success.
Members also identified the importance of an extensive, regionally-integrated public transit network to help companies better compete, praising the City’s efforts to build the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT), the MiWay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and ongoing advocacy efforts for all-day, two-way GO Train service on the Milton and Kitchener GO Train lines, with the Missing Link Plan.
Mayor Crombie also briefed taskforce members about her recent participation in the 2017 BIO International Conference including the City of Mississauga’s Economic Development Office’s Life Sciences Roundtable, citing how “the roundtable was an opportunity to strengthen networks and pitch Mississauga’s success story as Canada’s leading destination for job creators to invest, expand service offerings and remain ahead of the competition.”
Click here for more information about the Mayor’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Taskforce.
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