Mayor Bevilacqua of Vaughan delivers 11th State of the City address at Annual Business Luncheon (news roundup)

UrbanToronto Updates from the Industry for October 15, 2021

Urbantoronto.ca
Oct. 18, 2021

As part of a roundup of industry news: Mayor Bevilacqua of Vaughan delivers 11th State of the City address at Annual Business Luncheon

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Today, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua delivered his 11th annual State of the City address to a virtual audience of business, government and community leaders at the 2021 Vaughan Chamber of Commerce's Annual Mayor's Luncheon. The theme of this year's event was Ready, Resilient and Resourceful and highlighted the City of Vaughan's ongoing response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the path to recovery.

During the event, Mayor Bevilacqua reflected on past accomplishments and outlined several transformational city-building initiatives currently underway. In his address, Mayor Bevilacqua announced that LGC, a leading global life science tools company, has chosen to locate its Toronto Research Chemicals subsidiary in Vaughan. Construction work has recently commenced on a new facility of more than 200,000 square feet, which will bring more than 400 highly skilled jobs to the area when it opens in 2024.

Mayor Bevilacqua participated in a Q-and-A with Brian Shifman, President and CEO of the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce. Throughout the pandemic, Mayor Bevilacqua has constantly communicated with the business community to provide updates on the evolving situation and work collaboratively to respond efficiently and effectively.

Today, there are more than 19,000 businesses in Vaughan that employ more than 225,000 people. Small business remains the backbone of Vaughan's thriving economy -- representing more than 80 per cent of all local job creators. Since the onset of the pandemic, the City of Vaughan's Economic and Cultural Development Department has delivered 1,143 business consultations and responded to 4,621 inquiries, as well as provided 303 webinars to 5,961 attendees. The City is committed to supporting Vaughan's small business community and helping entrepreneurs and business owners unleash their full potential and achieve economic prosperity.

Since 2010, more than $13 billion in building permits have been issued by the City and, despite the global pandemic, city-building did not slow down in 2020. Vaughan issued more than $1 billion in building permits in the last year alone -- a significant investment into the community's future.

The City of Vaughan proudly maintains one of the lowest and most competitive tax rates in the Greater Toronto Area. Last year, at the height of the global pandemic, Mayor Bevilacqua and Members of Council passed a zero per cent tax rate increase in the City's 2021 Budget.

With approximately 179 hectares of development opportunities, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) continues to be the largest and most ambitious project in the City's history, attracting residential, commercial and industrial investments. From 2015 to 2020, the VMC attracted more than $9 billion in economic activity and continues to exceed growth targets. Residential development currently represents more than 65,000 residents in 32,379 units moving into the VMC, achieving 270 per cent of residential units and 256 per cent of population targets identified for the 2031 planning horizon far earlier than expected.

The heart of Vaughan's emerging downtown is home to several transformational projects, including the VMC Subway, high-rise towers and commercial office buildings, which have created thousands of jobs, public art projects and community event spaces. As a result, Vaughan remains a city in demand.

In his address, Mayor Bevilacqua reiterated the importance of leveraging resources to bring healthcare, innovation and jobs to the community. Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital officially opened its doors as a full-service community hospital on June 6, 2021. It is the first hospital in Vaughan, and Canada’s first smart hospital. As chair of Mackenzie Health Foundation's $250-million Ultimate Campaign, Mayor Bevilacqua proudly announced that more than $200 million has been raised toward the campaign goal.

In October 2019, the City of Vaughan, Mackenzie Health, ventureLab and York University signed a memorandum of understanding to undertake a feasibility study to identify the best use of lands surrounding Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, known as the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct. Nearly two years later, Mayor Bevilacqua recently chaired the inaugural meeting of the City of Vaughan's Hospital Advisory Task Force, which has the mandate to oversee the development of the vision and priorities for making Vaughan a globally recognized example of a healthy city.

As home to Canada's first smart hospital, York Region's first subway stations with another on the way, a vibrant downtown core, a 900-acre park and a university, Vaughan upholds its global position as a city of choice.

The City is pleased to recognize the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce for its ongoing partnership and contributions to advance Vaughan's strong economy.