The City of Vaughan is a rapidly urbanizing city, and it’s taking bold approaches to harness the mobility solutions of the future.
Vaughan is a prosperous community and one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities. “Home to nearly 345,000 people, Vaughan’s globally competitive economy includes more than 19,500 businesses, and has seen employment growth that exceeds that of the province and country,” says Mayor Steven Del Duca, City of Vaughan. “A recent forecast by York Region suggests that by 2051, Vaughan’s population will increase by more than 66 per cent to over 576,000 people.”
With this growth, people need options to travel around the city, which has spurred the City to proactively find new methods and technologies to meet Vaughan’s transportation needs of today and tomorrow. “We see the enhancement of people and goods movement as key opportunities to provide better service to our community,” says Raphael Costa, Director, Economic Development for the City of Vaughan
Demonstrating smart mobility innovations
Fittingly, on behalf of the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) has selected the City of Vaughan as the successful recipient to be awarded $2.5 million over a two-year period for a new OVIN Demonstration Zone, delivered in partnership with the City of Markham.
“With a world-class workforce, state-of-the-art research and development facilities, and an abundance of critical minerals, Ontario has secured its position as a global leader in the auto sector,” says Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “We’re building on that momentum with the new OVIN Demonstration Zone and ensuring that our innovators and entrepreneurs have the tools needed to bring made-in-Ontario automotive and mobility solutions to the world. The vehicles of the future will be built in Ontario, by Ontario workers.”
“The OVIN Demonstration Zone will provide entrepreneurs, innovators and visionaries an exciting opportunity to safely test their automotive and smart mobility solutions in the real world,” says Mayor Del Duca.
“Ontario has emerged as a leader on the global stage as the automotive and mobility sector undergoes a transformation towards connected, autonomous and electric vehicles,” said Raed Kadri, Head of OVIN.
The demonstration zone will be a key hub of commercial activity, especially for innovators who may not have the resources to showcase their technologies. Smart mobility companies are encouraged to apply to participate in the demonstration zone.
Learn more at vaughanbusiness.ca/MobilityDemoZone.
