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May 2009 |
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| Edition #2 | Issue #4 |  |
gillian@onteast.com | |||
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Economic Development Organization Seeks to Build Cross-Border Trade and Tourism Cross-border tourism and trade in Eastern Ontario has a new U.S. champion. The Alexandria Bay, N.Y.-based Capital Corridor Trade and Tourism Initiative will host an unprecedented networking event in June. That’s when it will bring together dozens of economic development officials from Ontario and New York State.
“All we’re trying to do is get people to know each other so they can pick up the phone or send an email to talk about things, opportunities, that may affect both sides of the border: Eastern Ontario and Northern New York State,” Kelly says. The meeting is the second recent event run by the organization that is funded by the Thousand Islands Bridge Commission and the Federal Bridge Corporation Ltd. The commission held a symposium in Watertown, NY, last month (April) to discuss the impact on tourism, economic development and trade of new border regulations that will require all land border crossers to carry passports as of June 1. Getting communities on both sides of the border to start talking to one another about more than just tourism could have huge benefits for everyone along the corridor, including Eastern Ontario, says Kelly. “You’ve got to get beyond the thinking that it’s a contest because it isn’t necessarily a contest to get people into your community; it’s a contest to get people into the area,” he says. As well as bringing people together, the commission is trying to convince truck drivers to take their cross-border loads across the Thousand Islands Bridge instead of through Southwestern Ontario. It has put advertisements in trucking magazines reminding truckers that, although the drive may sometimes be further through Eastern Ontario, it doesn’t necessarily take any longer because wait times at the Thousand Islands Bridge can be three times shorter than in Southwestern Ontario. More than 400,000 truckers cross the Thousand Islands Bridge at Alexandria Bay annually representing $1 billion in trade, Kelly says. Convincing more truckers to drive through Eastern Ontario could bring big spinoffs for the Eastern Ontario communities along their routes. Even tourism could be affected because those truckers may like what they see well enough to return with their families for vacations, he says. Dave Paul, director of economic development at the City of Brockville, said trade corridors and foreign trade zones can be useful tools for encouraging investment attraction in Ontario East. “Our bi-national partnership with our American economic development counterparts will nourish the opportunities along the capital trade corridor between Ottawa and Washington,” Paul said. “We have some unique attributes for investment consideration which will be advanced with this new partnership.” For more information: Also see: |
W. Howard Kelly, director of the organization that promotes business along the 800-kilometre trade corridor between Ottawa and Washington, D.C., says he hopes to get communities from both sides of the border thinking more regionally.