2011-04-21 Warden Tom Bain 4th Annual Warden's Luncheon speech

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Page 2 Well, back to the present (don't want to depress the Leaf fans any longer). I am delighted to have the occasion to talk to you today on my perspective on the challenges and opportunities I see for our region. However, before I start, I need to check just one thing — did you really come here to hear me speak or is this a perfect opportunity to showcase your time management skill by allowing you to start your long weekend early by heading for home as soon as we are finished? OK, now that that's clear, we are at the starting gate and we're off! Over the past 24 months, there has been significant economic turbulence in Essex County. We are now showing signs of recovery, however, plenty of work remains. Our region has always been a region that comes together — to create a better tomorrow. We innovate and we adapt. We take on challenges and we embrace change. Together in collaboration with Mayor Francis and the City of Windsor, we in Essex County seek ways to innovate, adapt and transform. What will most position our region for success is an ability to band together to overcome diversity. The last few years have tested our resolve — the world wide recession hit us hard — it knocked our bases — our foundations — and it scared us. Others wondered if we were down for the count. But — I knew that our Region would not retreat — I knew we could count on our communities, our residents and our businesses to come together. And the City and the County began to look at ways where we could better cooperate and unite to fight back the things that were happing to us. We have come to realize and appreciate that business as usual is no longer good enough — we must collaborate, cooperate and innovate to prosper. As you are no doubt aware, in the Fall of 2010 Windsor and Essex County was recognized by the Intelligent Community Forum as one of the world's Smart 21 Intelligent Communities. In January 2011, we were further recognized as one of the Top 7. The process of assessing a community's worthiness as the Intelligent Community of the Year requires that the ICF conduct an analysis of the submission put forward by the community and make a site visit to the community. As many of you are aware, the ICF carried out its visit to Windsor and Essex County Monday and Tuesday of this week. As we prepared for and carried out the site visit, it became increasingly obvious that Essex County, along with the City, is blessed with a wealth of public and private sector leadership capable of developing world-class solutions to the challenges we face. In our region, we have a demonstrated capacity to reach out to every corner and facet of our community — industry, education, health care, green energy, creative and digital industries, government institutions and the residents at large to embrace transition. In two days, we made 10 individual site visits and held 5 roundtable discussions with public and private sector leaders. Mayor Francis will support me when I say that the innovation, creativity, cooperation and collaboration are second to none, and we were only able to scratch the surface of what this community has to offer. We showed how: