Expo 2020 Dubai will bring people together from around the globe in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to showcase world innovations, encourage international collaboration. With an anticipated 25 million visitors, Expo 2020 Dubai will be a platform to showcase Canadian innovation and to promote new business opportunities for Canadian companies and attract international investment in Canada, which in turn will create jobs for the middle class. This Expo will also be a chance to highlight Canadian leadership in top sectors such as advanced technologies, aerospace, artificial intelligence, tourism and education, as well as to promote Canadian values like gender equality and sustainable practices.
Today, the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, announced that EllisDon Construction Ltd. was awarded the contract for the design, build and operation of the Canada Pavilion and Public Presentation at Expo 2020 Dubai. Together with consortium members Moriyama & Teshima Architects, and Lord Cultural Resources, along with Hatch, Kubik, Thornton Tomasetti, NGX and Cisco, EllisDon and team will deliver the pavilion and its public presentation space.
Complementary programming, which will include business, investment attraction and cultural components, will unfold in the Canada Pavilion during the 172 days of Expo 2020 Dubai, which will run from October 20, 2020, to April 10, 2021.
"The Canada Pavilion in Dubai will serve as a meeting place for Canadian business and innovators. It's one more way our government is opening doors for companies to compete in thriving global markets, secure new contracts, attract international investment and create well-paying jobs for middle class Canadians. As one of Canada's premier building firms, EllisDon Construction Ltd. will bring its world-class construction expertise to Dubai and deliver the Canada Pavilion over the coming months."
- Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification
"As part of our long-term commitment to our operations in the Middle East, EllisDon is honoured to have been named the successful proponent for the delivery of the design, construction and operation of the Canada Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai. Together with our team of expert Canadian and Emirati partners, we look forward to delivering a pavilion that will represent all Canadians and of which we can all be proud."
- Jody K. Becker, Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice-President, Services, EllisDon
"Participating in Expo 2020 will help expand on the existing, strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Canada and the UAE, and, more broadly, the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region. We only need to look at the lasting effects that hosting two world fairs has had on the fabric of our nation to understand the potential this initiative represents for Canada and for Canadians."
- Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification
Quick facts
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Canada's trade diversification strategy is investing $1.1 billion over the next six years to help Canadian businesses access new markets.
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In 2018, the UAE was Canada's 22nd-largest merchandise export market globally, with nearly $1.5 billion of exports.
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More than 150 Canadian companies across a variety of sectors maintain a presence in the UAE, largely as a base for their operations in the region.
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This International Exhibition will be held in Dubai, UAE, from October 20, 2020, to April 10, 2021. It will be the first world's fair in either the Middle East or the Arabic-speaking world and is expected to attract over 25 million visitors.
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Canada recognizes the importance of this exposition for Dubai, particularly as the UAE celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2020.
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At the Canada Pavilion during the Shanghai 2010 Expo, the Government of Canada's partnerships and trade program facilitated approximately 150 events, including more than 50 high-level business meetings; 12 memorandums of understanding and agreements were signed, with a total value of more than $164.5 million.
