Inside Toronto

with Carissa Reiniger

Just as the Edmonton Oilers NHL playoffs were getting underway, Mayor Stephen and Lynn Mandel boarded a Westjet flight to Toronto, fronting an eight person delegation from the city of Edmonton and EEDC.

The group included CEO Allan Scott, Lynn Wyton, Jackie Frazier and Edmonton Tourism’s Bob Dunham from EEDC; plus Patricia Misutka, the Mayor’s chief of staff; and Matthew Wispinski from communications, City of Edmonton. The collective goal was to create awareness of the dynamism of Edmonton and to dispel any negative perceptions Torontonians might have of the city.

With a number of major events, client meetings and a trade media tour, I estimate more than 500 people interacted with the Mayor and members of the delegation over the course of the four-day tour. Ideally, those 500 will each tell three people who will tell three people—well, you know how that works.

In addition, Mayor Mandel talked with editors from the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Report on Business and the National Post. Based on the positive interviews, there is the potential for national coverage to reach thousands more with the message that we are growing, booming and Edmonton’s economy is worth attention.

The message was consistent at all events: Edmonton is a thriving metropolis, moving upward on the national scene.

One of the major events was the Mayor’s keynote address to The Economic Club of Toronto at the National Club. Among those in attendance were executives and representatives from Hewlett Packard, Moreau Rosenberg Consultants, CV Technologies, the Ontario Government, the University of Toronto and the Power Within (which, by the way, is about to announce its first series in Edmonton this summer).

Friday evening, the entire Edmonton contingent worked the crowd at Get Down E-Town, held this year at the Original Motorcycle. This was the second annual Get Down E-Town event that Silver Lining has thrown to promote Edmonton, unite ex-pats and bring awareness to our hometown. Among the many cheering Oilers’ fans were ex-pats Michelle Jones, now at Sportsnet; Claire Martin, who left Global Edmonton for the CBC; Sumit Varshney with IBM; and Alex Fung from the Boston Consulting Group of Canada. We were also joined by Giles Gherson who is now the editor-in-chief at the Toronto Star but formerly held that position at the Edmonton Journal.

The following evening, hosted a private dinner at Toronto’s George restaurant. The Mandels and team hob-nobbed with a diverse group—who probably left the room wondering how they can get some business going in Edmonton. Jane Hutcheson, a VP of TD Bank, told me that she was “impressed” with the Mandels and considered it an honour to have been invited. Allan Scott charmed Deanne Taentzer from Microsoft, and she made a point of telling me she was going into the office on Monday to figure out what business could be brought into Edmonton. Frances McKinnon, a producer from the Discovery Channel spent quite a bit of time chatting with Lynn Wyton about different Edmonton story ideas she could pitch. Mike Grand, opening the first day trading office in Edmonton on May 8th was there… as was Ruth Bastedo, president of Women Entrepreneurs of Canada, which launches its Western Canada branch in Edmonton on May 11th. Cam Heaps, president of Steam Whistle Breweries, left the room trying to figure out ways to get his sales rep in Calgary to spend more time in Edmonton. All in all, a successful night.

The formal agenda closed after Mayor Mandel had breakfast with Toronto Mayor David Miller. That done, it was off to the Rogers’ Centre to watch the Blue Jays play the Boston Red Sox. This event, hosted by the City of Edmonton, EEDC and the Edmonton Journal, brought together clients and associates in Toronto for a fun afternoon at the ball park. That said, if you asked Mayor Mandel what the baseball score was, he might not be able to answer. In the large executive suite, you could find at least 20 loyal fans crammed in front of a tiny TV, trying to catch replays and counting down the last 10 minutes of the game—the Oilers hockey game, not the Blue Jays game. You can take the Edmontonians out of Edmonton… but you can’t take the Edmonton out of Edmontonians.

Every person that heard about Edmonton this weekend or talked with any of the representatives from the City or EEDC had promising things to say about wanting to develop stronger ties with Edmonton. I think you will see continued momentum and more Edmontonians inside Toronto before you know it.

Do you have a Toronto question? Contact: carissa@edmontonians.com. Carissa Reiniger is the founder and president of Silver Lining Ltd— www.silverlining.ws  —which helps small businesses identify business development plans and then uses communication strategies to ensure they reach their goals. She splits her time flying between the Silver Lining offices in Toronto and Edmonton. 

Click here to see archive editions of Inside Toronto by Carissa Reiniger.