By Sean Barr, senior vice president & only in-office Canadian

SAN DIEGO, CA, USA - EDC traveled to Toronto last week with our peers from Atlanta and Minneapolis to meet with metro leaders from across Canada. Facilitated by the Brookings Global Cities Initiative, the conversations proved to be a great opportunity for EDC and WTC San Diego to continue to build bridges with key cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and of course, my native Winnipeg. 

There are a number of international markets that many San Diegans might not consider to be at the top of our list. Canada is just one of those markets that surprises many. Canadian cities, in particular, continue to drive a large share of San Diego's trade and investment interests. 

Canada purchased over $2.8 billion worth of goods and services from San Diego in 2013. Inward investment from Canada supports more than 4,300 jobs in San Diego’s local economy. Bottom line, Canada is San Diego's fourth largest trading partner. But still, there is room to grow and expand the depth of the relationship with our neighbor to the north. For instance, Vancouver shares our pacific, bi-national orientation and smart cities, life science and research-driven strengths – a metro market EDC and WTC San Diego intend on growing as we move into 2017.

As Canada celebrates its birthday on July 1, here's wishing all our Canadian friends, investors and partners a very Happy Canada Day!

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