Earlier this week, the Ottawa Board of Trade proudly led a united coalition comprised of our Board Directors, Pillar Partners, and Ottawa Unlimited partners to Queen’s Park in Toronto for Ottawa Day – an impactful advocacy mission dedicated to advancing economic prosperity and community vibrancy in our capital city and reinforcing our deep partnership with the Province of Ontario.
Our delegation represented the full breadth of Ottawa’s economy and included: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Invest Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism, Ottawa International Airport Authority, Kanata North Business Association, Downtown BIA, BDO, BOMA Ottawa, Brookfield Renewable, Bruce Power, CF Rideau Centre, Hydro Ottawa, Deloitte, Enbridge, HEALWELL AI, Keynote Search, KPMG, Scout Clean Energy, and Sidi.io.
Team Ottawa met with Premier Doug Ford and key Ontario political leaders, including:
- Hon. Graydon Smith, Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
- Hon. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines
- Hon. Todd McCarthy, Interim Minister of Infrastructure
- Hon. Graham McGregor, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
- MPP George Darouze, our host at Queen’s Park for the day
Together, we spoke with one strong voice, advancing opportunities to drive growth, innovation, and inclusive prosperity for all. High-level priorities included:
- Energy security and innovation: Addressing Ottawa’s energy gap and reliability challenges with Minister Stephen Lecce, with a clear need for clean, green, reliable, and creative power solutions that underpin the city’s globally recognized tech sector.
- Community safety and well-being: Emphasizing the importance of integrated police, public health, and community action to support addiction recovery and safety – particularly as downtown Ottawa revitalizes after being hard-hit.
- Tourism and urban vibrancy: Stressing the role of Ottawa as a leading destination, with continued investment in family-friendly, safe options to sustain the visitor economy and drive growth.
- Housing and infrastructure: Highlighting the urgent need for investment in housing, transit, and infrastructure aligned with Ottawa’s rapid growth in tech, health sciences, and clean energy. Municipal-provincial collaboration is crucial to unlocking new supply, revitalizing downtown, and enabling future-ready development.
- Collective action for economic resilience: Ottawa’s prosperity benefits all Ontario and relies on innovative, collaborative partnerships with the province to accelerate job creation, attract investment, and foster a resilient economy.
Thank you to the Premier of Ontario and all our exceptional partner organizations for contributing to an inspiring meeting filled with positive dialogue and collaboration. Our combined leadership is building a stronger, safer, and more innovative capital for the future of Ontario. Please click here to view photos of the day.