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(photo courtesy The Empire Club of Canada)

Laying the groundwork for prosperity: Canadian cities and their universities

President Meric Gertler addresses Empire Club of Canada

Canada鈥檚 cities are building the foundations of our future prosperity, University of Toronto president Meric Gertler told a capacity crowd at the Empire Club of Canada. 

Though in the past the country has been able to prosper from high oil prices or a strong manufacturing sector, Canada needs to look at the bigger picture, he said at the May 22 talk at the Toronto Sheraton Hotel. 

鈥淕iven the obvious risks associated with relying on oil to power our economy, and with the uncertain prospects facing our traditional manufacturing heartland, it seems obvious to be asking ourselves a larger, existential question: where will the future prosperity of our city, province and nation come from?鈥 Gertler asked.

For the answer, he said, we need to 鈥渢urn our collective gaze towards our cities鈥 and their universities. Cities are thriving because of sectors such as financial services, the creative economy, tourism, information and communications technologies, and a host of other industries that benefit from the dynamism of our urban regions. Creative people and innovative companies are drawn to cities, and cities are also home to large concentrations of sophisticated customers, he said.鈥淐ities are privileged sites for innovation, entrepreneurship and the flourishing of ideas and opportunities.鈥

Because of this, governments need to support and nurture cities and their institutions of higher learning, Gertler said. 

鈥淥ur own efforts in Canada are improving, but still pale in comparison,鈥 Gertler said, noting that the United Kingdom has created a cabinet-level position with a mandate for universities, science and cities.

鈥淐anada needs to provide more thoughtful, strategic support for its urban regions. Transportation funding, housing support and other investments that enhance the livability and functional efficiency of our cities are the obvious places to start,鈥 said Gertler, adding that the commitments made in this year鈥檚 Ontario and federal budgets to invest in transportation infrastructure represent a welcome step forward.

Gertler used Toronto鈥檚 strengths in biomedicine to support his argument. 鈥淭oronto is at the heart of a biomedical cluster with few equals in the world.鈥 

This biomedical strength is thanks in part to 茄子直播, Gertler said. Besides housing Canada鈥檚 largest medicine faculty, 茄子直播 is also home to several other health science faculties, such as nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, public health and social work, as well as the Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, and the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Gertler said. Other strengths include the Mississauga Academy of Medicine, a health sciences network of nine renowned partner hospitals and other healthcare institutions in the region, he said.

茄子直播 is also at the heart of one of North America鈥檚 fastest-growing entrepreneurial clusters. 鈥淪ince 2010, no single university in North America has helped create more startup companies than 茄子直播 and its partner hospitals.鈥

But Toronto鈥檚 strengths are not due only to 茄子直播, he said. Other institutions of higher education and research, such as York, McMaster, Waterloo, Ryerson, OCADU and Guelph, contribute greatly to the region鈥檚 success. 

鈥淭he Toronto region鈥檚 remarkable and diverse strengths are already a major force in our province鈥檚 and our nation鈥檚 prosperity,鈥 he said, but 鈥渨e can do better.鈥 

Gertler pointed to the overlap between major research centres and major economic centres, stressing the increasing importance of international collaboration in building prosperity.

鈥淲ell-connected, globally-networked centres of knowledge production are increasingly coming to the fore as the world鈥檚 leading economic centres. Venture capital and other forms of mobile investment now seek out these special places and the opportunities that are signaled by their worldleading research and talent.鈥

Gertler noted that other Canadian cities such as Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton are also thriving, thanks to strong research universities. 

鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just about Toronto. It is about Canada. Canada鈥檚 urban regions and its urban universities are building the foundations of our nation鈥檚 future prosperity.鈥 

Read the complete speech:

Terry Lavender writes about cities and global issues for 茄子直播 News.

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