April Update - Mayor’s Economic Prosperity Council

The first thing you may notice is we’ve had a name change. Yes, it’s official and it came about as the result of the enthusiasm, optimism and ideas that were generated in the MEC sessions.

The process and focus of the Mayor’s Economic Council was and continues to be, to find workable solutions and methods of increasing London’s prosperity – and so –  the name change.

The members of the MEPC did meet as a group on March 10th and the Pillar Co-Chairs delivered a synopsis of each sector’s answers to the three questions as originally posed.

1. What can the City of London do to be more welcoming and attractive to business?
2. What do you see as the “low hanging fruit” in the area of business expansion and job creation?
3. How can the City of London improve how IT DOES BUSINESS with London business?

Written submissions were forwarded to the MEPC Chairs and Co-ordinators and a report is expected by the end of April or early May. The report will provide a Summary of the presentations and a compilation of the suggestions and ideas that came from each Pillar. MEC Executive Chairs, Carol Stephenson and Gord MacKenzie and Coordinators Tim Kavanagh and Todd Gillick will provide the final report to the Mayor and a copy will be posted here.

Mayor Fontana attended the March 10th session and he thanked the MEPC members, the Co-Chairs and Coordinators, for not only giving time to the process but also to their city. The Mayor thanked all the Londoners who participated in smaller groups and one on one. He said, "Good ideas come from everywhere but they become GREAT ideas when we put our heads together and focus on how to develop solutions and actions that are the best for our city – when we consider how to improve what is already in place and what options are still available."

The Mayor acknowledged the hundreds of Londoners who have been involved in the Mayor’s Economic Prosperity Council, not just those in attendance, but those who offered ideas and had discussions with individual MEPC members and individuals who sent suggestions via email. "Thank you to every one who seized the opportunity to invest in creating ideas for London. We will now take those ideas and continue to share them with Council, City staff, business and community leaders and all Londoners. This is the next step –  seeing what is actionable and how effective are the outcomes."

The Mayor's Economic Prosperity Council will be encouraged to continue to find good ideas and work collaboratively to help London achieve greater economic prosperity. The Mayor suggested to those in attendance on March 10th, that he may call upon them again to meet later in the year to discuss how their ideas had been received in the community and to address what suggestions may or may not have been implemented. He encouraged participants to stay in touch with each other, to partner where possible and to engage others in the discussions and actions that will see London move in the right direction.