Minister of International Trade Teresa Wat will lead a five-day BC trade and investment mission to Boston and New York from Saturday, March 15, 2014, to Wednesday, March 19, 2014. Seafood Expo North America, one of the world's premier trade shows for seafood producers and buyers, is the anchor event.
Wat will arrive in Boston tomorrow and then join Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea, and the Canadian Consul General in Boston, Patrick Binns, at the official opening of the BC Pavilion at Seafood Expo North America on Sunday morning.
"We are working to open and expand markets for British Columbia's services and goods, including our sustainable and high-quality seafood. This trade and investment mission to the US East Coast will allow us to promote our competitive advantages and attract new investment dollars to spur economic activity and job creation here in BC," Wat said.
The BC Pavilion will provide a venue for BC seafood companies and organizations attending the Boston trade event as they showcase their products and meet with international buyers. Wat will meet with the B.C. seafood delegation and international partners and purchasers on Sunday at the trade show, which is expected to draw 20,000 buyers, suppliers, and other seafood professionals from 100 countries.
On Monday, Wat will advance the BC Technology Strategy in a series of meetings with tech investors, research organizations and entrepreneurs in Boston and Cambridge. British Columbia is a hub location for life sciences, wireless, and information and communications technology companies. Massachusetts has the largest concentration of biotech firms in the world and the second largest concentration of medical device companies in the United States.
After touring the Canadian Technology Accelerator in Boston, Wat will announce a new initiative to support BC technology start-ups during a roundtable event hosted by the Canadian Consulate General and Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England, an organization that mentors Canadian and BC technology companies.
Wat's trade and investment mission moves to New York on Tuesday to attract direct investment in key BC Jobs Plan sectors, including transportation and infrastructure related to liquefied natural gas and the resource sector. She will hold meetings with New York and New Jersey site selectors and Asian companies headquartered in New Jersey that have business interests in BC.
The East Coast mission, supported by British Columbia's trade and investment representatives in the United States, will conclude Wednesday with Wat's return to BC from New York.
A list of BC companies attending Seafood Expo North America is included in the attached Backgrounder.
