Waterloos Brenda Halloran and Vancouvers Gregor Robertson

Vancouvers Gregor Robertson: Torontonians will naturally be focussing on local issues like transit and taxes and when they go to the polls in October. But we should also spend some time thinking about how the candidates stack up when it comes to municipal diplomacy, the ability to make smart connections for Toronto in the wider world, according to Globe and Mail. When I served in Beijing, I hosted visits from mayors like Vancouvers Gregor Robertson and Waterloos Brenda Halloran. Mr. Robertson has the advantage of being related to Norman Bethune, which still opens doors in China. But he was admirably focussed on the future, making a strong case for Vancouver as a center for green technology and digital media. Ms. Halloran gravitated to technology centers in China, natural counterparts for Waterloo. She reinforced this connection by becoming the first Canadian mayor to launch an account on Sina weibo, Chinas version of Twitter and David Mulroney, Canadas Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2012, is a distinguished senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. This is increasingly important as the most successful cities become global actors, competing for investment, trade, tourism and education dollars. And in tackling problems like congestion, pollution and homelessness, its often easier to find kindred spirits and creative solutions in cities like Sydney, London or Seoul than at Queens Park or on Parliament Hill. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.