Toronto mayor to lure Chicago business

Toronto mayor to lure Chicago business

Matthew Coutts, CTV Toronto

Toronto and Chicago will be bosom buddies once again, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford promised on Tuesday as he announced plans to visit the Windy City next month.

“This mission will be the beginning of a renewed relationship, and it will let Chicago know Toronto is open for business,” Ford told reporters Tuesday.

“Toronto business leaders will have new opportunities and avenues to do business in one of North America’s biggest financial and manufacturing regions. Toronto is growing at a phenomenal rate, and we have a lot to offer.”

Ford will visit Chicago on September 18 and 19 and will be joined by business leaders George Cohon, founder of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, and Robert Deluce, president of Porter Airlines.

He will meet with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, key business leaders and visit the Consul General of Canada in Chicago during his two-day trip.

Ford said the mission to Chicago will mark the beginning of a renewed Partner City relationship – a deal first reached in 1991 to foster economic development and trade between the cities.

“For more than 20 years the two cities have shared information in numerous sectors, which has helped advance economic interests in both cities,” Ford said Tuesday.

“Toronto and Chicago are financial hubs that are home to some of the most successful financial institutions. In fact, two of the three largest financial centres in North America are in Chicago and Toronto.”

Coun. Michael Thompson, chair of Toronto’s economic development committee, said the trip was planned after business leaders asked the mayor to extend his hand to Chicago – America’s third-largest city.

“As the largest commercial centres on the Great Lakes, Toronto and Chicago have so much in common. Both have populations of similar sizes and face complicated issues, from waterfront development and investment attraction to revenue generation, policing and general municipal issues.”

“Renewing our Partner City relationship offers us many opportunities for productive partnership and mutual learning.”

Toronto is also a partner city to Chongging, China; Frankfurt, Germany; and Milan, Italy.

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-mayor-to-lure-chicago-business-1.913298

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Video: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford talks Chicago-Toronto Partnership City initiative

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Toronto

Population: 2,615,060 (2011), is the largest city in Canada.

Toronto covers an area of 630 square kilometres (243 square miles)

The city of Toronto annexed and merged with 6 municipalities in 1998 creating a single municipality called the City of Toronto: East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former city of Toronto.

Toronto-Mississauga Ontario metropolitan population was 5,583,064 (2011) and is the largest metropolitan area in Canada followed by Montreal-Laval with 3,824,221 (2011) people.

Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX had a metropolitan population of 6,191,434 (2011) and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville had a metropolitan population of 5,712,148 (2011).

Chicago

Population: 2,707,120 (2011) , the 3rd largest city in the United States. The city reached its largest city limit population in 1950 with 3,620,962 people.

Chicago covers an area of 606.square kilometres (234 square miles)

In 1980 Chicago had a population of 3,005,072 within the city limits and Los Angeles had 2,966,850. By 1990 Los Angeles had become the nation’s 2nd largest city in population with 3,485,398 people and Chicago having declined in city limit population to 2,783,726.

Los Angeles had a city limit population of 3,819,702 in 2011 and New York City had 8,244,910.

The Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City (Chicagoland) metropolitan area had a population of 9,729,825 (2011).