Vaughn is in Ontario, just north of Toronto and one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, with economic strengths similar to Grand Rapids.
The partnership with Vaughn integrates Grand Rapids more deeply into the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence economic zone of eight states and two Canadian provinces.
Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand says it offers access to jobs, investment and global trade routes in an important world economic region.
“Toronto is a really big city and it's really booming, and Vaughan is really part of that Toronto scene. We obviously have strong connections to Detroit, and we have strong connections to Chicago, but the third leg of that triangle really is the Toronto region.”
The partnership is designed to build relationships in industries such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and food processing to strengthen supply chain networks.
Plans also include cultural exchanges of students and artists, public art initiatives and sports diplomacy to promote goodwill.
LaGrand notes the communities aren’t carbon copies but complementary.
“They've done some really innovative work on their green space and park space which was interesting to learn about and some things that we haven't done… but they're much more car-centric than Grand Rapids is, so they're looking at us and sort of feeling jealous about how walkable our city is.”
Vaughn is the seventh Sister City for Grand Rapids; joining others in Poland, Ghana, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Mexico.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
