The EDA travels to the Ukraine to offer advice on economic development
Published on November 24, 2011
Chosen to represent the region for best practices in economic development, Tracy Heebner, associate director for the Economic Development Alliance (EDA) of Southeast Alberta went to the Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Municipal Local Economic Development (MLED) program, an international partnership between Canadian and Ukraine municipal sectors.
The multi-year project pairs Ukrainian cities with counterparts in Canada for the purpose of sharing best practices for economic development and governance; Medicine Hat is one of the participating municipalities. Heebner, one of three representatives chosen to participate spent seven days in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
“I presented on business expansion and retention, investment attraction and best marketing and communication practices, something that the EDA has excelled in. In particular they were very impressed with the Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS) videos that were done in 2009 and won marketing awards on both a provincial and national level. The videos showcased the southeast Alberta UVS sector.”
Heebner explained that the response was very enthusiastic. “Even though there are many differences between the two countires, the delegates from Ukraine hung on every word we had to say, and tried to bridge the information to work for their environment.”
The Ukraine is one of the largest European Nations with a consumer base of over 40 million. It is known as a major producer of wheat and specialty crops such as: rye, flax, corn, sugar beet and barley. There is also a large industrial concentration within the country which includes natural gas, oil, coal, iron and aerospace.
“In concerns to industry, Canada is similar to the Ukraine as we have a thriving agriculture sector as well as an energy mix including oil and gas and aerospace technologies; with that comes export opportunities.”
Heebner encourages businesses interested in doing business in the Ukraine to attend a webinar put on by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service.
The Ukraine Market Primer webinar will be held on December 6, 2011 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm (Ottawa Time) and is free. By attending the webinar business can expect to: learn about opportunities; better understand Export Development Canada’s products and services available in the Ukraine; as well as be able to identify and mitigate market risks. Following the presentation will be a 15-minute Q&A. Any questions can be sent, in advance to Rouslan.Kats@international.gc.ca.
To register for this event visit the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada site. If you are a business in southeast Alberta, wishing to learn more about export opportunities in a variety of sectors contact the EDA’s business team at info@edalliance.ca. These services come at no cost, as the EDA is a publicly funded organization.