WORKING GROUPS AND COMMITTEES

 

The work of implementing various aspects of the Quebec-New York Corridor initiative is coordinated by the two lead organizations (the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec), and carried out through several volunteer committees and working groups.  These currently include the following:

 

• TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL:  This is the most established of the working groups, dating back to 1999 and linking all of the key public and private transportation interests throughout the Quebec-New York Corridor.  Through quarterly meetings and other communications, the Transportation Council has helped to identify common transportation priorities for joint advocacy, and has directly helped to bring more than $200 million (U.S.) in public investment for those priority projects.

 

• COMMITTEE OF 100+ FOR A PORT OF EXCELLENCE:  Beginning in 1999, this broad coalition of interests created a vision for a “PORT OF EXCELLENCE” at our Champlain/Lacolle border crossing, and remains committed to making this gateway the premier U.S.-Canadian connection.  Through regular advocacy in Washington, Ottawa, Albany and Quebec City, the committee has helped to secure commitments to construct an entirely new U.S. border facility at Champlain by 2006, with concurrent enhancements north of the border as well.  It has also worked to obtain major staffing increases, the deployment of new technology, and the implementation of accelerated clearance programs such as FAST and NEXUS.

 

• ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS COUNCIL: The Council brings together the major chambers of commerce and economic development organizations from throughout the Quebec-New York Corridor to begin to identify opportunities for collaborative marketing of the Corridor as an attractive bi-national region for outside investment.

 

• TECHNOLOGY SECTORS WORKING GROUP:    Meeting several times a year, this group is building linkages on a Corridor wide basis in such key technology sectors as nanotechnology, biotech/life sciences, photonics/optics, and information technology.  Both the Quebec and New York portions of the Corridor host exciting clusters in each of these fields but prior to this effort, awareness was minimal and collaboration was virtually non-existent.  This is beginning to change, thanks to the continuing work of this initiative.

 

• TOURISM COUNCIL:  Beginning at the Economic Summit in 2002, major tourism marketing and development organizations from throughout the Corridor came together and discovered exciting possibilities for marketing our Quebec-New York Corridor as a uniquely attractive bi-national destination. In addition to an ongoing effort to facilitate this exploration, the Quebec-New York Corridor has also endorsed the Lakes to Locks Passage byway and sister efforts in the Richelieu Valley as an opportunity to develop a continuous bi-national attraction, including collaboration on the upcoming 400^th anniversary of Samuel de’ Champlain’s arrival.

 

• SPORTS DEVELOPMENT:  The Quebec-New York Corridor Agreement envisioned potential collaboration between New York and Quebec, and specific communities such as Montreal and Lake Placid, in the pursuit of major sporting competitions and events.  Early in 2003, New York Governor George Pataki and the Government of Quebec agreed to begin an exploration of a potential joint bid for a future Winter Olympic Games, centered on the existing Olympic venues and traditions of Lake Placid and Montreal.  Even as this long-term exploration begins, we are convinced that nearer term opportunities can be identified and pursued as a result of the partnership that is coming together.

 

• ENERGY:   Though not yet an active committee, energy remains an area of strategic interest for development in the future. This includes the future transmission and movement of energy (electricity and gas) between Quebec and New York, and the encouragement of high technology enterprises in our Corridor related to traditional and alternative energy.