Mangalore, India Economic Development Initiative

3:00pm - For Immediate Release

Mayor Lois E. Jackson, Chief Administrative Officer George V. Harvie and Administrative Manager Manjit Kaila, are travelling to Mangalore, India this week as part of an economic development initiative funded through the British Columbia Government's Asia-Pacific Program.

In May 2009, Delta Council entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Province of British Columbia to establish an economically-robust partnership with a local government in India. Following a comprehensive review of potential cities, Mangalore, in the State of Karnataka on the south-west coast of India, was chosen. Similar in many respects to Delta, Mangalore is a port city with a strong agricultural base and a diverse local economy.

The Delta delegation to Mangalore, lead by Mayor Jackson, will involve meetings with key local government and industry officials for the development of an economic partnership. A formal signing of the memorandum of agreement with the City Corporation of Mangalore will be held along with meetings with the New Mangalore Port Trust, Manipal University officials and delegates from major IT companies. Delta is also hosting a reception (co-sponsored by Port Metro Vancouver) at the Kanata Chamber of Commerce to promote Delta and highlight potential economic opportunities the municipality has to offer.

As part of this initiative, Delta worked with Barbershop Films to produce a promotional video on Delta. The video uses fast-paced imagery of Delta to highlight various "room to..." themes, including "room to work", "room to grow" and "room to play".

• View "Delta...Room to Grow" video:
  • Windows Media { wmv 117MB }
  • Apple Quicktime { mov 377MB }

The Corporation of Delta looks forward to fostering the relationships that will be forged and opportunities this visit to Mangalore will create. A report on the trip will be presented to Council in November and Delta is expected to host a return delegation from India in the spring of 2011.

For more information contact Sean McGill, Director of Human Resources and Corporate Planning at (604) 946-3218.

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