Premier Wynne will begin a week-long trade mission Sunday to the Middle East with a focus on the life sciences and research sectors. She will travel with a large body of civil servants and 130 business, academic and research representatives to Israel and the West Bank. Wynne told a pre-mission reception for the delegates that Ontario and Israel share many of the same priorities, namely developing “strong, competitive business environments that support innovation and growth.” The delegation is set to travel with the premier to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, then on May 19th Wynne and other delegates will go to Ramallah in the West Bank and to Haifa on the Mediterranean shore the following day. The premier’s officer says two-way trade between Ontario and Israel last year was valued at more than 900 million dollars. Delegates include Jewish-focused businesses and organizations looking to strengthen existing ties to Israel, and universities and research institutes. BlackBerry, Roots Canada, IBM Canada, Scotiabank, Thomson Reuters and the Toronto Stock Exchange also are part of the trade mission.
