Waterloo leaders react to Trudeau’s compliment on world stage

It’s nothing but smiles from leaders in Waterloo after the prime minister highlighted the city’s success in his speech at the World Economic Forum.

For Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, President of the University of Waterloo, it’s a moment of tremendous pride for the school — and more broadly, Waterloo Region.

“We’re a big part of the ecosystem of our Region,” he tells 570 News, “and we couldn’t exist without putting all the pieces in this Region together.”

“For that, I believe, it’s the recognition of our entire ecosystem and Region, and not just the university.”

Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky says the city “bats above its weight,” and to be mentioned at the World Economic Forum is “remarkable.”

“And I think that truly puts us on the world stage, which is really what we’re trying to do. We have such a great economy here, but the world is our oyster, and we hope to take advantage of that over the coming years,” Jaworsky tells 570 News.

In his speech, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited Waterloo’s diversity as a source of its strength — something Hamdullahpur agrees with.

“Diversity here and all around the world has proven that it is absolutely essential for creativity, for innovation, for integration of various points of view and ideas, so from that perspective, it’s very important to us,” he tells 570 News.

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