On Tuesday, January 31st from 7:30am - 10:30am at the London Convention Centre, Mayor Matt Brown gave his third State of the City Address (SOTCA). The London Chamber of Commerce’s SOTCA is held annually and is a one of a kind event to mark the beginning of the new year. It sets the tone for both the Mayor and Council as they set out to tackle important issues that face our municipality. It is a must-attend event for the London business community, drawing an audience of over 1,200 people.
The Mayor focused on topics such as London’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis, Western and Fanshawe, and rapid transit. Brown announced that TUV, a German-based company, is expanding to the city and creating five new jobs.
“The company tests products for the manufacturing sector and employs over 10,000 people,” said Brown. “The London operation is going to start small with five employees, and we look forward to being TUV’s gateway to the Canadian and North American markets.”
On the job front, Brown also announced that Public Sector Digest, which produces a monthly research publication, expects to expand to 65 employees from 50 in 2017.
Some notable mentions from the 2017 SOTCA:
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Fanshawe College celebrates 50 years in 2017, as well as continues progress on their downtown-located Kingsmill building as they look to open in 2018
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New buildings and previous building improvements are underway at Western University in 2017, including the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB), the new academic building for the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) and Nursing, and University College revitalizations
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Over 60 events will take place in 2017 in celebration of Canada’s 150th, check them out on the official London site.
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Infrastructure improvement discussions around Rapid Transit will continue and progress throughout 2017, which when implemented will create $1.1 billion in economic benefits
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Hanwha L&C Canada, which announced in 2016 they were expanding, will continue its expansion by hiring approximately 100 new employees throughout the year
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Innovation Works, the only place in London intentionally designed to foster social innovation, has taken in 130 tenants since inception in 2016
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The downtown core will welcome new businesses, including Rebel Remedy Fresh Bar, The Spruce on Wellington, and Twisted Toque which currently held a job fair to hire 40-50 employees
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Anderson Craft Ales, which opened its doors in London last year, landed its product in 13 LCBO’s across Southwestern Ontario
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The Jack Richardson London Music Awards (JRLMA) will expand to a week of music, learning and fun April 2-9, 2017. It’s the first week-long celebration of its kind to celebrate musicians in our region
Below are some of the videos shared at the address, capturing culture and medical research innovations here in London:
London is Culture
London is Innovation
