Mayors from across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region are meeting to release an Economic Transformation Plan.
It highlights economic growth in the areas while continuing to protect freshwater resources to create a world-renowned fresh coast economic corridor.
“As one of North America’s great global cities, Toronto is eager to build the Fresh Coast Economic Corridor in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region,” said Toronto Deputy Mayor Paul Ainslie. “Our shared waters connect us, and this Action Plan ensures they will also sustain us by driving innovation, strengthening resilience, and improving quality of life for millions of people. By working together across borders, we can show the world how cities and regions can lead in building a resilient and prosperous future."
The plan has goals that include attracting 500,000 new businesses that are committed to sustainability and creating 18 million jobs for residents in the regions while avoiding any percentage increase in consumptive water loss and improving water quality, all before 2035.
The action plan identifies 17 strategies and over 76 actions for local government, as well as a 10-year blueprint to position the region as the Fresh Water Coast Economic Corridor.
Over 350 communities are represented in this plan, including Chatham-Kent (CK).
CK Councillor Lauren Armstrong will be attending an event in New York to share the municipality's thoughts on the plan.
