茄子直播

President Meric Gertler addresses the Toronto Region Board of Trade (all photos by John Guatto)

茄子直播 President Meric Gertler at the Toronto Region Board of Trade

鈥淲e can make this region an even better place in which to live, study, work and prosper鈥

A strong university helps build a strong city and a strong city helps build a strong university, President Meric Gertler told a sold-out audience at the Toronto Region Board of Trade May 29.

Among those who listened to Gertler鈥檚 message of the need for town-gown collaboration were Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat and Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy, as well as 茄子直播 Chancellor Michael Wilson, former 茄子直播 Chancellors David Peterson, and Hal Jackman, Governing Council Chair Judy Goldring and former 茄子直播 President Robert Prichard.

Gertler used the example of the University of Toronto and the City of Toronto to illustrate his point: 鈥溓炎又辈 and Toronto are simply exemplars of a world-class, research-intensive university on the one hand and a major global city-region on the other.鈥

For example, he pointed out, Toronto benefits from the 茄子直播 through the economic stimulus of $250 million in local research collaboration, and the spending of 16,000 employees and 80,000 students.

鈥淲hen you add up all the salaries and benefits paid to our faculty and staff (and the purchasing power they represent), as well as the expenditures of the University and our students, the 茄子直播 community contributes an economic stimulus of $12 billion annually to the province of Ontario, with most of that stimulus within the GTA 鈥 that鈥檚 about 20% more than the City鈥檚 entire annual operating budget,鈥 said Gertler.

In addition, 16,500 students graduate from the university each year, he said, with most getting jobs in the Toronto region.

鈥淭oronto is a terrific place to build a career in nearly any field, and employers in this region clearly benefit from the supply of well-educated graduates flowing from its universities and colleges.鈥

He also pointed to community services provided by students, such as the dentistry students who serve 78,000 patient-visits each year, and the students who work with community partners at the East Scarborough Storefront, serving the social needs of residents in Kingston-Galloway and Orton Park.

Gertler noted 茄子直播鈥檚 success in fostering entrepreneurism. In the past three years, he said, the university鈥檚 students and faculty have created more start-up companies than any other North American university, ahead of MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Caltech, Harvard and others.

But the president emphasized that this entrepreneurial success depends on a strong Toronto.

鈥淢uch of this success is due to the remarkable students, faculty, and staff on our three campuses. But we must also give credit to the very special region in which we are situated,鈥 he acknowledged. 鈥淵ou cannot plunk a university just anywhere and expect it to trigger the formation of a local innovation cluster. The Toronto region鈥檚 success as an emerging innovation and entrepreneurship powerhouse rests equally on its tremendous multi-sectoral, convergent strength. This unusually diverse economic base provides a powerful spark for innovation and entrepreneurship, drawing on a rich environment of specialized suppliers and services.鈥

And 茄子直播 benefits from international students and researchers who are attracted by Toronto鈥檚 cultural liveliness, social harmony, safe and vibrant neighbourhoods and schools and libraries, Gertler said.

The president said 茄子直播 is ready to work with local governments 鈥 along with Ryerson, York, OCAD and other institutions 鈥 to help address the region鈥檚 most pressing challenges.

鈥淚 know we can make this region an even better place in which to live, study, work and prosper,鈥 he concluded.

Read the to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

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