Lesley Weidenbener
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence and a delegation of business and utility leaders will leave Wednesday for a one-day jobs mission to Toronto, a trip aimed at strengthening the state’s economic ties to Canada.
“Canada is already the destination for billions of dollars’ worth of Hoosier-built products,†Pence said in a statement. “This trip will be dedicated to boosting bonds with existing partners in Toronto and supporting new relationships as we pursue every opportunity to win more Hoosier jobs.â€
During the day-long trip, the governor will meet with business and government officials, including a venture capital firm considering investment opportunities in Hoosier companies. Pence will also meet with Ontario Prime Minister Kathleen Wynne, U.S. Consul General Jim Dickmeyer, Canadian Consul General Douglas George and officials at Skjodt-Barrett Foods.
Pence will host a business recruitment event at the season opener of the Toronto Maple Leafs for site selection consultants and companies considering investment in Indiana.
Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith and other staff from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation will join the trip. So will representatives of the state’s largest utility companies.
First lady Karen Pence will also participate with plans to meet with students and teachers at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute, the first art therapy training program in Canada. In addition, she will tour the Gardiner Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario while in Toronto.
The costs of the governor’s and first lady’s trips are being paid by private donations.
More than 14,800 Hoosiers work for Canadian-owned companies and more than 193,500 jobs in Indiana are dependent on trade and investment with Canada. Indiana is home to more than 90 Canadian firms.
