Mohamed Lachemi at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Jan.26, 2016. Photo by Kalem Mc Sween
Interim president Mohamed Lachemi will be one of the 19 post-secondary representatives traveling with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne this week on her 10-day trade mission to India.
The trade mission, which will take place from Jan. 27 to Feb. 6, will be the latest effort by the provincial government to strengthen the province’s relationship with India, which Wynne said is more important now than ever.
“After decades of work to establish partnerships between India and Ontario, no doubt our economies are more than ever in harmony,” Wynne said at a pre-mission luncheon.
During the trip Wynne, Lachemi and other representatives will meet with senior government and business leaders in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Mumbai to discuss infrastructure development and sustainable technology.
While most of the delegation are business leaders, there will be a number of representatives from Ontario’s top post-secondary institutions, including Ryerson.
“These are leading institutions that already have connections in some cases, but will develop and build those (connections),” Wynne said.
“We know that innovation is as deeply ingrained in the Indian psyche as it is here,” Wynne said. “In addition to sharing Ontario’s expertise, we have a lot to learn from our colleagues in India.”
This trade mission comes on the heels of the premier’s recent trade mission to China which was estimated to have generated $2.5 billion CND in business agreements and 1,700 new jobs for Ontarians.
This article was published in the print edition of the Ryersonian on January 27, 2016.
