Great Lakes Economic Forum

Chicago, Illinois and Toronto, Ontario — Toyota Canada has joined this year’s Great Lakes Economic Forum (GLEF) as the presenting sponsor for the Forum.

Held in Windsor and Detroit from April 24 – 26, the GLEF provides an opportunity for leaders from around the region to share ideas and insights that will help shape the biggest economic, social and environmental policy issues facing the Great Lakes-St, Lawrence Region, boost the region’s competitive edge and secure long-term success and sustainability.

“The importance of the transportation sector to the Region’s economic vitality and sustainably cannot be understated but it is facing an uncertain future. This is a chance for business leaders in these sectors to discuss the bi-national approach that we need to take, perhaps more than ever before, to enable economic activity and social connectedness in our region,” said Mark Fisher, Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) President and CEO.

“Toyota’s support at the Forum further underscores the value of transportation from manufacturing, distribution and infrastructure perspectives on both sides of the border – which we know will be major points of discussion.”

Representing US$5.8 trillion in economic activity (eight percent of global GDP), the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region’s significant inter-connectedness and related economic activity is enabled by its multimodal transportation system, serving both passengers and freight movements.

It’s a sector with extensive reach – 12 of the top 50 North American airports, 15 large international marine ports and 50 region ports, 70 intermodal terminals and 50,000 miles of rail lines, which directly supports close to 2 million individuals across the Region with jobs: people who drive trucks, buses, operate trains, planes and ships, and work in ports, warehouses and other logistics facilities.

“The Great Lakes region is a global leader in the production of transportation equipment, which in turn depends on a world-class multimodal system to efficiently move goods within the region and for export to world markets,” said William D. Friedman, President and CEO, Port of Cleveland.

“While this unique value chain has historically powered regional growth, public policy reforms and investments are needed now to keep this economic engine humming through the 21st century.”