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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 21, 2015 | 16 U.S. ambassador calls Oakville a centre that's `thriving' by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff America's Ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman, was in Oakville Friday (May 15) to talk business with the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. Heyman met with about a dozen representatives from various local businesses at the Bristol Circle headquarters of Pelmorex Media Inc, which operates the Weather Network. There, the discussion ranged from issues with wait times for goods crossing the U.S./ Canada border to questions from business leaders interested in expanding into America. Chamber's Chair Kerry Colborne said the closed-door meeting was productive. "I think our members were very impressed with what he had to say. We love the opportunity to host someone like the U.S. Ambassador," she said. "He clearly understands the issues between the U.S. and Canada concerning trade and its impediments and he is working hard to U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman visited with local business leaders and Oakville Chamber of Commerce representatives over a working lunch at the Bristol Circle offices of the Weather Network Friday. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPho- Interlocking Tumblestone, Retaining Walls, Garden Installation, Sodding & Excavating, Call for FREE Estimate plus more (905) 827-8158 · www.rogerslandscaping.org Lakefront Cottages Lakeview Cottages prime sites available M 22- ay 24 10a m dai -6pm ly OP EN H O JOIN US! 2015 Northlander Escape 14' x 42' | w/ large open concept kitchen | 3 bedrooms $74,900 n g A bl vaila e solve those." In an interview with the Oakville Beaver following the meeting, Heyman said it was important for him to visit as he called the town a centre of entrepreneurship, business growth, innovation and creativity. The ambassador said part of his job involves travelling the country and speaking with business and community leaders about the challenges they are facing with the U.S. relationship and where opportunities exist to increase trade. He said progress is being made in increasing the efficiency of getting goods across the U.S. border, citing the recently updated U.S./Canada Preclearance Agreement. The existing agreement sees customs agents at major Canadian airports carry out customs and immigration inspections to "pre-clear" people and goods to enter the U.S. The new agreement looks at bringing this practice to additional Canadian airports and all other modes of U.S.-bound travel. The idea is that if customs officials check U.S.-bound goods, for example, at the train station in Canada, that train will not have to stop at the border. "As this legislation goes through and gets passed by our respective governments, I think there will be a lot of new opportunities," said Heyman. "I would be remiss if I didn't say to you that everyone who travels frequently across the border needs to get a NEXUS card. It helps us and it helps you. You get to go through the border very quickly and we get to focus on the people we have more questions for who we would like to speak to." NEXUS is a joint Canada/U.S. program designed to let pre-approved, low-risk travellers cross the Canada/U.S. border quickly. Heyman said Canada/U.S. trade could also be improved simply by educating Canadian businesses on how to do it. "In some ways, it is complicated if you have never done cross-border trade before," he said. "The Commerce Department of the United States recognizes this and we have a process that is educating businesses on how to do this better. We had a conference called SelectUSA (March 23-24) and I took one of the largest delegations of Canadians to Washington and we educated each of those businesses on how to do business in the United States. We set up networking meetings and we tried to understand what things were concerning to them. That was very effective and, in fact, we are going to do another program like that in Toronto later this year." Ironing out the issues in Canada/U.S. trade is of great importance with Colborne noting such trade generated $759 billion in 2014. Heyman has served as America's ambassador to Canada since March 12, 2014. He previously spent 33 years working for Goldman Sachs, where he served as managing director of the private wealth management group from 1999 until December 2013. 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