York Region’s business leaders are forming a new council to drive economic growth in the area.
The municipality has launched an Innovation Leadership Council that met for the first time in February. Comprised of business leaders from across the region, including Newmarket, the group is tasked to work alongside municipal staff toward economic development.
The region’s manager of strategic economic initiatives, Charles Banfield, said the idea came about after a review over the last two years to create an advisory board that could identify gaps and opportunities.
“The development of an industry-led Innovation Leadership Council will enable York Region to leverage the knowledge of experts, build relationships with industry leaders and strengthen the scope of the region’s Innovation portfolio,” he said in a news release.
The council includes representatives from York University, Seneca College, ventureLab, Skinopathy and Xe, a Newmarket-based currency authority.
The region said the council will meet regularly to provide industry insight into York Region’s innovation ecosystem, as well as foster productive relationships with the community. It will also discuss leveraging existing assets, such as the regional data fibre network.
Technology is a focal point of those economic development efforts, with the region housing the country's second-largest tech hub, home to more than 55,600 such businesses.
The group will also help with input into York Region’s next economic action plan for 2024-2027.
“While the purpose of this council is to play an advisory role by working with York Region staff, there is the opportunity for York Region projects to be identified and developed based on input from the council members,” Banfield said.
The council will next meet April 11. You can find more information about the region’s community and economic development at Yorklink.ca.
