PHILADELPHIA — On July 15, Mayor Kenney and representatives from the City’s Department of Commerce will depart for Québec City, Canada.
While in Québec City, Philadelphia officials will focus on city-to-city relationship building, business development, best practices for addressing similar challenges facing the two cities, and gaining insight into how Québec uses promotion of its World Heritage City status to generate economic impact.
“At its core, Philadelphia is an international city, one that thrives on diversity and our connections to communities across the globe,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “Canada has long been a strong partner, not just for the United States, but for our city and region in particular. In addition to the trade and investment connections that exist between Canada and the Philadelphia region, we also share a number of strengths and opportunities. I look forward to learning from our peers in Québec and exploring all the ways we can further strengthen our relationship.”
Activities in Québec City will include: meetings with Mayor Régis Labeaume and other administration officials, a roundtable event at Bentley Systems — which has offices in both Philadelphia and Québec, meetings with leaders in tech and education, and a tour of the World Heritage Site of Old Québec. Mayor Kenney and the group will be in Québec City July 15-17. Department of Commerce staff will continue on to Montréal, where they will conduct additional meetings July 18-19.
In Montréal, the delegation will meet with their counterparts to share information about the local economies of both cities to identify opportunities for collaboration. The Department of Commerce will also pitch Philadelphia directly to businesses who are interested in investing in and exporting to the U.S.
“Following our previous trips to Europe and Asia, we saw a considerable uptick in interest from international businesses in the countries we visited,” said Commerce Director Harold T. Epps. “In today’s ever-changing global economy, it is essential that Philadelphia continue to explore opportunities outside of the United States. With significant existing ties to Canada, including shared strengths in the life science industry, strong trade partnerships, and companies with offices in both locations, the opportunities for Philadelphia are plentiful.”
Over 95% of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States, and as a result, international business opportunities are vital to the continued growth of domestic businesses. Canada is the region’s largest trading partner, receiving 27% of Philadelphia’s exports. The country is also the third largest foreign investor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with more than 700 firms and 19,000 jobs.
The following people will be part of Philadelphia’s official delegation:
- Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia
- Vaughn Ross, Deputy Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office, City of Philadelphia
- Harold T. Epps, Commerce Director, City of Philadelphia
- Sylvie Gallier Howard, First Deputy Commerce Director, City of Philadelphia
- Lauren Swartz, Senior Director of International Business, Department of Commerce, City of Philadelphia
- Pierre-Olivier Lugez, Manager of International Business, Department of Commerce, City of Philadelphia
- Andrea Townrow, Director of the Quebec Trade Office in Philadelphia
The City will cover travel costs for the four Department of Commerce staff participating in the mission, as well as Mayor Kenney and an additional staffer from the Mayor’s Office. The total estimated costs for the trip are less than $15,000.