Ontario Construction News staff writer
Texas officials got a primer on the benefits of investing in Ontario when Premier Doug Ford dropped in to talk up trade, Monday.
The premier was joined by Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, to talk trade with business leaders and officials, including Toyota Motor North America, the Canadian Consul General in Dallas, and the Canada-Texas Chamber of Commerce.
“Our focus in sitting down with our partners in Texas was creating more opportunities for businesses to invest and create jobs in Ontario,” said Ford. “We don’t just trade together — we also build things together. And when we do that, we’re supporting good jobs on both sides of the border. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Two years ago, trade between Ontario and Texas totalled $13.8 billion (American) in goods, that included top-traded items such as turbo jets and auto parts. Meetings included one with Toyota Motor North America, where the premier and the minister expressed appreciation for company’s commitment to Ontario; more than 8,000 employees work at Toyota plants across the province.
Discussions also focused on the new CUSMA, and the potential to create new opportunities for Ontario’s auto industry. Ford and Fedeli talked up Ontario as a quality trade and investment destination. They also met with the Canadian Consul General in Dallas Rachel McCormick, to discuss strategies to create more opportunities for Ontario businesses in Texas.
“We believe that there are more business opportunities with our partners in the U.S., including in Texas. We are the number one customer of 19 U.S. states and we are the number two customer of nine more. We need to be there to show that we’re open for business and open for jobs,” said Fedeli.
Quick Facts about trade with Texas:
- In 2018, Ontario was the sixth largest customer of Texas, behind Mexico, China, South Korea, Japan and Brazil.
- Ontario and Texas share strongly integrated supply chains, especially in the automotive and chemicals industries.
- ARLANXEO, a multinational synthetic rubber manufacturer, operates manufacturing facilities in Sarnia, Ontario and Orange, Texas that produce butyl rubber. The company’s supply chain includes transfers of raw materials and rubber products between these facilities for further value-added processing.
- GM’s St. Catharines Powertrain Plant supplies engines and engine components for the GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade which are manufactured at GM Arlington Assembly in Arlington, Texas.
- Ontario is home to key companies, including Firan Technology Group, Honeywell, Ben Machine Products, GasTOPS, Magellan and PCC Aerostructures Centra, that supply components for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft, which is assembled in Fort Worth, Texas.
- Over 150 Texas-owned companies have operations in Ontario, including AT&T and Haliburton.