Wynne Concludes Successful Mission to the Middle East

Premier Kathleen Wynne concluded her first mission to the Middle East today in Jerusalem and Haifa, where three new agreements valued at $75 million were announced between innovation and postsecondary institutions.

Premier Wynne toured the Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem and met with senior officials and young scientists to promote Ontario’s excellence in innovation and education. The Ontario Science Centre signed an agreement with the Bloomfield Science Museum to enhance the research, development and commercialization of new exhibits. “Science and technology are the building blocks of the knowledge economy, and through these agreements, Ontario and Israel will collaborate to develop new approaches to teach them to younger generations,” Dr. Maurice Bitran, CEO and Chief Science Officer, Ontario Science Centre said. The two institutions will also explore programs and exhibits that focus on girls and women in science and engineering.

The Premier travelled to Haifa to visit the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and met with Peretz Vanzan, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space. Ontario postsecondary institutions participated in a signing ceremony during the visit, where two new agreements with the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology were announced:

• The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine from the University Health Network in Ontario announced a $75 million agreement to establish an International Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation. The new centre will help improve the quality of life for people living with heart disease, build the economy through the manufacture and development of new devices in Ontario, and position Ontario and Israel as world leaders in developing treatments for heart disease.

• York University signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on student and facult y exchange programs.
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The Premier participated in a roundtable with Israeli Arab business leaders and entrepreneurs hosted by the Canada-Israel Industrial Research & Development Foundation (CIIRDF) to discuss opportunities for cooperation on innovation and technology initiatives, and to raise the profile of Arab Israeli-owned tech companies in Ontario.

This evening, the Premier will attend a Shabbat dinner hosted by the Canadian-based Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the public policy interests of Canada’s Jewish community.