Staff at the City of Vaughan have recommended council approve a $47,000 trade mission to Israel later this year as part of a series of international trips to “support the local economy through trade diversification, foreign direct investment, and expanded cultural networks.”
The recommendation for the mayor, two councillors and three city staff to travel to Israel in October was approved in a committee meeting this week. The item, like several others on the agenda, was approved without discussion. It still has to be ratified by council on June 24.
“The City has a long-standing record of maintaining and fostering economic and cultural relations between Vaughan and Israel through international missions to foster shared opportunities,” reads a staff report, which references a previous “city-led business mission” to Israel in 2019.
The report notes that Vaughan has had an economic and cultural partnership with the Israeli city of Ramla since 1993.
“A mission to Israel in 2025 will further strengthen Vaughan’s relationship with Israel and open new opportunities for cross-border commerce.”
The report does not mention anything about security concerns or Israel involvement in ongoing wars in Gaza and Iran.
A city spokesperson told the Star in an email that staffers “closely monitor travel advice and advisories issued by the Canadian government and adjust international mission timelines accordingly to ensure the successful undertaking of the City’s global economic and cultural relations efforts.”
It appears to be the first trade mission by a Canadian government to Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on the country by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Neither the City of Vaughan nor Israel’s Consulate General in Toronto responded when asked by email if they knew of any other municipalities which have taken or are planning similar trips. (Calgary’s and Montreal’s chambers of commerce led separate trade missions to Israel in 2023 prior to the Oct. 7 attacks.)
Vaughan Coun. Mario Racco said that while security issues were not discussed at Tuesday’s committee meeting, they will be considered before any trip to Israel is finalized.
Racco said he was not concerned about any political opposition to the trip, but added that members of the public could express their opinions in writing ahead of next week’s council meeting. (There are no public deputations or presentations at council meetings.)
Israel is one of four destinations the city’s economic development staff are recommending for trade missions to take place in the fall. The other proposed trips are two separate missions to different parts of Italy — with which Vaughan has strong ties — and a Global Affairs Canada investment “roadshow” in the U.K. and Switzerland.
The staff report also cites rocky trade relations with the U.S. as reason to pursue “market diversification” and new opportunities for international trade. Racco said the purpose of the trip is to strengthen economic ties with Israel.
“We need to look for new markets to sell our products,” he said, referring to the weakening of Canada-U. S. trade relations. “I know it’s more of a national issue, but every one of us can help.”
Funding for the trips will come partly from a $90,000 grant from the federal government to support international economic missions.
Vaughan is home to a significant proportion of Jewish residents, who trail only Italian- and Chinese-Canadians in terms of the most represented cultural or ethnic groups, according to the 2021 census. Every year the city recognizes Jewish Heritage Month by raising the flag of the State of Israel outside city hall.
“Vaughan’s relationship with Israel is long-standing and strong,” Mayor Steven Del Duca wrote in a statement published on the city’s website days after the Oct. 7 attacks.
The statement, and others since then, have been criticized for omitting any mention of Palestinians.
Though not trade missions, two federal MPs have made sponsored trips to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the federal government’s list of sponsored travel.
Former Liberal MP Marco Mendicino travelled to Israel in November 2023 in a trip that was paid for by the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto, and NDP MP Heather McPherson travelled in January 2024 to several countries in the Middle East, including Israel, in a trip sponsored by The Canadian-Muslim Vote.
