Blog : Ragazou

 

JERUSALEM ?Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty met with the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, in Jerusalem on the weekend to discuss next steps in research, innovation, clean water technology and health sciences. 

 

Premier McGuinty meets with Israel's president, Shimon Peres, to discuss innovation, clean water technology and continued partnerships between Israel and Ontario.

 

They were joined by Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Dr. Eric Hoskins, MPP Monte Kwinter, MPP Mike Colle and MPP David Zimmer.

 

During the one-hour meeting, the two leaders committed to continue building on existing partnerships between Israel and Ontario to help strengthen the growing knowledge-based economy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Premier also visited Yad Vashem, right, a memorial museum in Jerusalem honouring all those who perished in the Holocaust. There, in a moving ceremony, the Premier laid a wreath in memory of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Premier McGuinty is on a five-day mission to promote Ontario's life sciences sector. Israel's life sciences sector has experienced dramatic growth, with 80 life sciences companies being created every year.

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Premier Dalton McGuinty and Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, then travelled to Jerusalem where they met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, above.

 

The meeting focused on opportunities to improve trade and build new partnerships between Israel and Ontario. Netanyahu expressed great interest in Ontario's education system and a future meeting of respective education officials is now being planned.

 

Other topics discussed included renewable energy, clean water technology and the potential for collaboration on brain research. 

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As part of the trade mission, Ontario's life sciences mission celebrated the first new partnerships signed between Israeli and Ontario companies at a ceremony in Tel Aviv. 

The partnerships included:

?  Ontario's Ministry of Research & Innovation and Israel's Ministry of Industry & Labour renewed an MOU to support future collaboration on research, science and technology

?    Axela Inc.(Toronto), signed an agreement with Kangaroo Design and Israeli joint venture partners on next generation instrument development

? Axela Inc. signed a Letter of Intent with the Israel Ministry of Health for the use and distribution of Axela's breast cancer test

? Claron Technology (Toronto) and BrainsGate signed an agreement to develop a system allowing experts at a central location to assist surgeons performing surgical procedures at remote locations

? Profound Medical Inc. (Toronto) and Nanomotion of Israel signed an MOU to advance innovation and commercialisation for image-guided, minimally-invasive medical devices

? Queen's University and Mosaic Crystals Ltd. signed an agreement to further research collaboration

? York University and Hebrew University reaffirmed their long-standing relationship and agreement to continue to develop programs in areas of mutual academic interest. 

 

 

 

Premier McGuinty tours the shops in the Old City of Jerusalem

 

 

Premier McGuinty visits the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem