ONTARIO LAUNCHES MIDDLE EAST TRADE MISSION McGuinty Government Growing Trade and Investment

NEWS

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The Ontario government launched a seven day trade mission to the Middle East today to advance the province's trade and investment relationships and highlight the excellence of Ontario's companies.

Sandra Pupatello, Minister of International Trade and Investment, will lead a delegation of approximately 20 Ontario companies exhibiting at the prestigious Cityscape Dubai 2008 Exhibition on October 8. Cityscape Dubai 2008 is the largest business-to-business real estate investment and development event in the world.

Minister Pupatello will also celebrate the opening of the world's largest Second Cup café located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Second Cup, a Canadian success story, opened its first store in Ontario in 1975.

While in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia , Minister Pupatello will meet with key dignitaries and business leaders.

QUOTES

"Increasingly, investors in the Gulf region are looking to Ontario as a place to invest. The McGuinty government thinks they are making an excellent choice. As Canada's largest province, we are the nation's heartland for research, innovation and new technologies", said Sandra Pupatello, Minister of International Trade and Investment.

"We're proud that the remarkable economic and social development of the United Arab Emirates in recent decades includes many contributions from Canadians", said Pupatello.

QUICK FACTS

• The Canadian Business Council fosters networking between Canadian and other business people in the Middle East and builds awareness amongst the regions' business community of the contribution that Canadians and Canadian goods, services and technologies have made in the region.
  
• In 2007, Ontario accounted for 25 per cent of Canada's domestic exports to the Middle East.
  
• Ontario supplies value-added manufactured products and technologies to the UAE.
  
• Products and technologies imported to the Middle East from Ontario include aerospace, automotive, computer, telecom and construction equipment.

LEARN MORE

• Ontario offers great investment opportunities. Find out more about investing in Ontario.  

For more information:

Leigh-Ann Popek
Minister's Office
416-325-0362

Eric Shapiro
Communications Branch
416-325-6698

ontario.ca/economy-news

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