Canadian Organizations Recognized for Collaboration Initiative
October 6, 2009 (Ottawa, ON) – OCRI is pleased to announce that the Ontario Technology Corridor (OTC) partnership program between Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa Region, Waterloo Region, City of London and Niagara Region, has been selected to receive the Regionalism and Cross-border Collaboration award for cities with a population greater than 200,000, at the 2009 International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Excellence in Economic Development Awards. A panel of economic development experts consisting of members from both the public and private sectors selected the project.
The award will be presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 6th during the 2009 IEDC Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada. Mike Darch, Executive Director, Global Marketing, OCRI and one of the founders of the OTC program is in attendance to accept the award on behalf of all Corridor partners.
Employing nearly 256,000 people among 5,900 companies, the Ontario Technology Corridor offers one of the world’s best educated, motivated and stable workforces, excellent growth opportunities, a low-risk business environment, and generous R&D tax credits that are the envy of other G-8 countries.
“When we set out to establish the Ontario Technology Corridor, our main objective was to develop a sustainable and unique way to attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment across the the entire region,” explains Mike Darch. “Thanks to our strong and strategic alliances with each other, and the support of Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the federal government’s Invest Canada-Community Initiatives, we have been able to enhance our global presence and create a mutually beneficial approach based on co-opitition rather than competition enabling us to represent close to 6,000 companies in the corridor, spanning the software, photonics, wireless, cleantech, digital media, life sciences, and microelectronics sectors.”
OTC was formed six years ago, creating Canada’s largest Information Communications Technology (ICT) cluster representing the province of Ontario’s top three ICT clusters – Ottawa region, Greater Toronto Area and Waterloo region. This initiative has evolved into a strong, cohesive and strategic partnership among five communities, recently welcoming Niagara Region and City of London into the partnership, and the federal and provincial governments working together with private sector partners to promote the ICT and digital media/gaming attributes of the corridor.
The OTC is fast becoming a global model for “co-opitition” creating an environment where communities that normally might act independently as competitors are able to work together to leverage complementary strengths and achieve a common benefit.
“Furthering economic development is rarely a simple task in the best of times, advancing the cause in the midst of a global financial crisis is nothing less than arduous,” said Ian Bromley, IEDC chair. “As the consequences of the widespread economic turmoil have taken hold, we have seen our members become even more ardent proponents of economic development, flying in the face of one of the most challenging economic environments we have experienced in our careers. We proudly present this award in recognition of OTC’s significant impact during these difficult times.”
The IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards recognizes the world’s best economic development programs, partnerships and marketing materials including the use of the internet and new media.
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About OCRI:
Leading the way for Ottawa, OCRI is the city’s economic development agency. OCRI is the rallying point to bring business, education, research and talent together to create the winning economic conditions that allow Ottawa’s knowledge-based companies to thrive locally and compete globally. At OCRI we promote sustainable economic development to maintain our high quality of life. For more information on OCRI visit our website at www.ocri.ca and for more information on the Ottawa Region please visit www.ottawaregion.com.
For more information please contact:
Kim Cunningham
Manager, External Communications
OCRI
Tel: (613) 828-6274 x256
Cell: (613) 851-0768
Email: kcunningham@ocri.ca
