Economic Development Agencies From Canada's Large Cities Promote Cooperation and Collaboration to Attract Foreign

OTTAWA, Jan 12 (MARKET WIRE) --
Economic development executives from across the country are meeting in
Ottawa today to work together with invited federal government departments
and agencies on a unified business attraction strategy that recognizes
the dominant role of urban economies. According to members of the Canada
International Work Group, Canada's largest cities represent more than 50%
of Canada's economic activity. The focus for the Ottawa meeting -- the
third by Canada's large cities in the past 20 months -- will be
international trade and investment.

Economic development agencies participating in today's meeting include the
Greater Halifax Partnership, Quebec City Region (PQCA), Montreal
International, OCRI (Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation), the
Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, Canada's Technology Triangle Inc.
(Waterloo Region), Destination Winnipeg Inc., Saskatoon Regional Economic
Development Authority, Edmonton Economic Development Corp., Calgary
Economic Development, and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission.

"When it comes to attracting investment from Sovereign Wealth Funds in
Asia or the Arab world, or multi-national companies, Canada's cities have
much more to gain from banding together than competing against each other
for growth opportunities," said Michael Darch, Executive Director, OCRI
Global Marketing (Ottawa). "The economic development agencies of Canada's
large cities are also ideally positioned to identify high-return projects
for new Federal stimulus programs."

"Large cities play an increasingly important role in today's global
economy," added Andre Gamache, President and CEO of Montreal
International. "I have been encouraged by the commitment of my peers to
work together to tackle Canada's challenges in sustainable economic
development. We must turn accolades, such as comments on the strength of
our financial system, into revenue, investment and jobs."

The economic development executives will take advantage of their meeting's
Ottawa location to hold information exchanges with various Federal
economic organizations including Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Canada (DFAIT), Export Development Canada (EDC) and Business Development
Bank of Canada (BDC).

While the Geneva-based World Economic Forum declared last year that
Canada's banking system ranks as the soundest in the world, Canada's large
cities can't rest on these laurels. A Dec. 2008 report from CIBC World
Markets showed the economic momentum of Canada's cities has been softening
for more than two years. Half of the decline since 2006 occurred in the
last year, according to the CIBC World Markets Metro Monitor Report.

Note to media: Economic development representatives from the Canada
International Work Group will be available for interviews between 1:00 -
1:30PM at the Sheraton Hotel, 150 Albert Street, Ottawa.

Contacts:

Michael Darch
Executive Director
OCRI Global Marketing (Ottawa)
Cellular: +1 613-286-2318
Email Contact

Jennifer James
Communications Strategist
market2world communications inc.
Office: +1 613-256-3939
Email Contact

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