New York Congressman Bill Owens met with local business owners and dignitaries from Canada and the U.S., including Akwesasne, to help foster business relationships beyond international borders.
Owens, a democrat, said the idea of expanding business into Canada from the U.S., and vice versa, apppealed to him before he took office.
Now that he's there, he wants to ensure all parties, regardless of nationality, are working towards a common goal of “bringing new business in."
He said those in atttendance appeared to be receptive to the idea.
“We talked about what the issues are and how we can help one another and we talked about the idea of how we can establish protocol for a company that may have an interest in northern New York expanding into Canada," said Owens."Or taking Canadian companies and giving them the opportunities to (expand into the U.S.).”
He added an “awful lot of opportunity that’s not, if you will, being taken advantage of” because businees owners are unaware of what's available to them across the border.
Owens appears to have found people willing to listen.
At Monday's meeting sponsored by the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce, held at the Best Western, Coun. Denis Thibault said promoting the region as a whole, including northen New York state, will benefit all.
And he drew parallels eastern Ontario shares with its neighbour to the south.
He suggested the "seats of power" for both eastern Ontario and northern New York, in effect the provincial and state capitals, have essentially forgotten about this region as an area to develop.
Thibault said it is incumbent on people from this region to do the job themselves of promoting this area.
"We need, as an area, to do a better job in dealing with the existing power strusture," he said. "We're going to have to find betters ways of attracting business here and south of the border."
