Meeting with Berry Vrbanovic, the Mayor of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Last week our CBN Chair, Marc Jackson P.Eng. MBA, had the privilege to meet with Berry Vrbanovic, the Mayor of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, who was in Riyadh for the CoMotion Global Summit. He was attending in his capacity as one of the Co-Presidents of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). 

Marc and Berry discussed economic development opportunities, building on the recent official visit by Saudi Arabian officials to Canada. The discussion reflected Canada’s growing focus on new international trade opportunities and the City of Kitchener’s economic development priorities, including potential avenues to strengthen trade between Saudi Arabia and the Kitchener area.

Kitchener is Canada’s 10th largest census metropolitan area, and the largest urban centre on the western end of the Waterloo Region – Toronto Innovation corridor.  Downtown Kitchener is home to Google's Canadian engineering HQ, and a vibrant tech and innovation district built around start-ups and health innovation and includes campuses of University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and McMaster University.