Rubini points out another difference: the CIPM supports local growers, with wholesalers buying local whenever possible in season, while the OFT has a separate section of the market that houses local growers on the premises. The OFT’s 8-acre farmers’ market is home to 350 tenants and 550 stalls.
Because Chicago and Toronto are both home to bustling produce markets, the two cities are steady trade partners. “We haul a significant amount of product between Chicago and Toronto,” confirms Rubini. “Each market does the same job, but in a slightly different way.”
THE EVOLUTION OF SISTER CITIES
In an effort to foster cultural understanding, camaraderie, and economic growth, many metropolitan areas are paired with ‘sister cities’ across the globe. Pairings are officially recognized by the highest elected or appointed official of both cities, and forged with a signed agreement. Often called ‘twin towns,’ the pairings are designed to bring the world closer through commercial and cultural ties, social interaction, and mutually beneficial partnerships.
In Europe, the sister city concept can be traced as far back as 836 A.D., with the earliest pairing between Paderborn, Germany and Le Mans, France. North America’s first sister city agreement was established between Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain in 1931. Then in 1944 Vancouver, British Columbia formed a sister city partnership with Odessa, Ukraine after Canada provided aid to the allied port city during World War II.
The concept gained steam in the United States in 1956 with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s citizen diplomacy initiative, Sister Cities International, to champion “peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from different communities around the world.” Today, the nonprofit oversees more than 2,000 partnerships spanning 145 countries on six continents.
Julian Sarraino, vice president of marketing and sales for Fresh Taste Produce Ltd. on the OFT, believes the sister-city partnership is beneficial. “We have many connections in Chicago and maintain close ties with our colleagues regarding market conditions.”
Sagamihara, Japan (friendship; 1991)
Located in north central Japan, Saga-mihara is the fifth most populous suburb in the greater Tokyo area with an estimated population of almost 722,000—quite a bit smaller than Toronto.
Sagamihara’s climate is temperate and rainy, with average annual rainfall of more than 61 inches. Toronto’s annual rainfall is half of Sagamihara’s at about 30 inches, as the bulk of its annual precipitation is in crystallized form, at about 45 inches of snow per year.
Sagamihara is well known for its industrialized economy, with a focus on manufacturing and food processing. Beyond the metro area, the city’s surrounding agricultural region produces rice and wheat, with no commercial production of fruit or vegetables in the area.
About 250 miles north, however, is Miyagi Prefecture—home to the world’s largest indoor farm in an abandoned Sony facility. This massive hydroponic “plant factory” harvests about 10,000 heads of fresh lettuce each day.
Toronto is currently paired with four “partnership” and six “friendship” cities. While partnership cities are chosen by city officials with a focus on economic growth, friendship cities are suggested by the community and endorsed by a member of the Toronto City Council. Toronto forged its first partnership in 1986 with sister city Chongqing, China. Since then, Ontario’s capital has established partnerships with Frankfurt, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chicago, Illinois. The city has also forged ‘friendships’ with six other cities across the globe.
“The whole sister city concept is great, as it helps promote strong ties between cities in trade and business partnering,” comments Joe Rubini, president of Rally Logistics Inc., a truck broker just outside of Toronto. “The advantages are what we make of them; for example, speaking to a board of trade in any particular city can help make introductions to companies that are part of the sister cities. Everyone is always looking to expand business, so why not?”
Reaching Out: The 1980s Chongqing, China (partnership; established 1986)
The largest municipality in Southwest China, Chongqing is home to nearly 32 million people—more than five times Toronto’s metro area population. This modern port city is located at the merge of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. Chongqing’s top industries include mining, tourism, and food processing. Much like Toronto, agriculture is a significant economic driver for the city. The area’s primary commodities are rice and various fruits, particularly oranges.
Frankfurt, Germany (partnership; 1989)
With approximately 731,000 residents, Frankfurt’s population is quite a bit smaller than Toronto’s, though the city is at the heart of the larger Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metro-politan Region, which includes a total of 5.8 million people.
As Germany’s financial center, Frankfurt is a global hub for commerce, culture, and tourism. Unlike Ontario, agriculture has little role in Frankfurt’s economy and represents a very small part of Germany’s overall economy, accounting for less than 1 percent of the country’s GDP.
Even so, the Frankfurt Fresh Produce Centre opened its doors in 2004 and covers more than 32 acres, comparable to the Ontario Food Terminal’s 40 acres. Like the Ontario market, the Centre is a modern exchange facility for wholesalers, retailers, and other buyers.
Major Growth: The 1990s Warsaw, Poland (friendship; 1990)
The capital of Poland, Warsaw is the largest city in a country with nearly 2.6 million people throughout its metro area. Warsaw serves as the financial center of Eastern Europe and is responsible for more than 15 percent of Poland’s national income.
Much like its Polish sister city, Toronto serves as the hub of Canada’s financial industry. With nearly 6 million residents throughout its metro area, Toronto’s population is more than double that of Warsaw.
Poland’s top industries include manufacturing and agriculture. Agriculture contributes 3 percent to Poland’s GDP and employs over a quarter of the country’s labor force. Home to nearly 2 million farms, Poland is among the world’s top producers of potatoes and apples.
Although Ontario’s manufacturing industry is on the decline, the province, like Poland, is an agricultural powerhouse. The farm sector contributes over $13 billion to Ontario’s annual GDP and supports in excess of 155,000 jobs. The agriculture and agri-food industries combined contribute over 5 percent to Ontario’s GDP.
Similar to Toronto, Warsaw has a humid continental climate with snowy, overcast winters and warm, sunny and stormy summers. Temperatures in the Polish city range between an average of 29°F in January and 66°F in July, closely mimicking its sister city as Toronto’s average temperatures range from 24°F in January to about 72°F in July.
Chicago, Illinois (partnership; 1991)
Toronto officially forged its relationship with Chicago on July 19, 1991. After signing the agreement, Toronto Mayor Art Eggleton remarked the partnership was “the most noteworthy exchange between Chicago and Toronto since George Bell joined the Cubs.”
The third largest city in the United States, Chicago has a population of 9.5 million people throughout its sprawling metropolitan area, known as Chicagoland. A hub of international trade and tourism, the Windy City is home to thousands of renowned restaurants and the Chicago International Produce Market (CIPM), the largest terminal market in the Midwest.
The CIPM has quite a bit in common with its sister city market, the Ontario Food Terminal (OFT). Both terminals are located adjacent to a Great Lake (Chicago on Lake Michigan and Toronto on Lake Ontario), and thanks to lake effect snow, vendors at each of these markets are often faced with harsh winter weather. They are also similar in size: the CIPM at 33 acres with 22 wholesalers, and the OFT at 40 acres with 21 vendors.
Of course, these sister markets aren’t identical twins as there are plenty of differences between the two. First and foremost, the CIPM serves a significantly larger population. Another distinction, according to Scott Weber, vice president of Ruby Robinson Company in Buffalo Grove, IL, is the CIPM “has to contend with unions, while the OFT does not.”
In addition, Weber notes, is that the Chicago market also relies heavily on independent grocers to support the terminal. “Many minority-owned businesses on the CIPM cater to these independents and specific clientele.”
Weber also points out that Chicago has a larger Hispanic population than Toronto, which influences product lines. Indeed, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin region is ranked as the sixth largest Hispanic population in the United States, with over 2 million Latinos residing in the area.
Rubini points out another difference: the CIPM supports local growers, with wholesalers buying local whenever possible in season, while the OFT has a separate section of the market that houses local growers on the premises. The OFT’s 8-acre farmers’ market is home to 350 tenants and 550 stalls.
Because Chicago and Toronto are both home to bustling produce markets, the two cities are steady trade partners. “We haul a significant amount of product between Chicago and Toronto,” confirms Rubini. “Each market does the same job, but in a slightly different way.”
THE EVOLUTION OF SISTER CITIES
In an effort to foster cultural understanding, camaraderie, and economic growth, many metropolitan areas are paired with ‘sister cities’ across the globe. Pairings are officially recognized by the highest elected or appointed official of both cities, and forged with a signed agreement. Often called ‘twin towns,’ the pairings are designed to bring the world closer through commercial and cultural ties, social interaction, and mutually beneficial partnerships.
In Europe, the sister city concept can be traced as far back as 836 A.D., with the earliest pairing between Paderborn, Germany and Le Mans, France. North America’s first sister city agreement was established between Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain in 1931. Then in 1944 Vancouver, British Columbia formed a sister city partnership with Odessa, Ukraine after Canada provided aid to the allied port city during World War II.
The concept gained steam in the United States in 1956 with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s citizen diplomacy initiative, Sister Cities International, to champion “peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from different communities around the world.” Today, the nonprofit oversees more than 2,000 partnerships spanning 145 countries on six continents.
Julian Sarraino, vice president of marketing and sales for Fresh Taste Produce Ltd. on the OFT, believes the sister-city partnership is beneficial. “We have many connections in Chicago and maintain close ties with our colleagues regarding market conditions.”
Sagamihara, Japan (friendship; 1991)
Located in north central Japan, Saga-mihara is the fifth most populous suburb in the greater Tokyo area with an estimated population of almost 722,000—quite a bit smaller than Toronto.
Sagamihara’s climate is temperate and rainy, with average annual rainfall of more than 61 inches. Toronto’s annual rainfall is half of Sagamihara’s at about 30 inches, as the bulk of its annual precipitation is in crystallized form, at about 45 inches of snow per year.
Sagamihara is well known for its industrialized economy, with a focus on manufacturing and food processing. Beyond the metro area, the city’s surrounding agricultural region produces rice and wheat, with no commercial production of fruit or vegetables in the area.
About 250 miles north, however, is Miyagi Prefecture—home to the world’s largest indoor farm in an abandoned Sony facility. This massive hydroponic “plant factory” harvests about 10,000 heads of fresh lettuce each day.
Just as Japan has been investing heavily in protected growing, Leamington, 225 miles southwest of Toronto, leads the North American greenhouse sector with some 2,000 greenhouses—which collectively contribute over $3 billion to Canada’s total produce sales.
Kiev, Ukraine (friendship; 1992)
Kiev, sometimes spelled Kyiv, is the capital of Ukraine and the largest city in the country with a population of nearly 3 million. It is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, and residents speak Ukrainian, Russian, or a combination of both.
Today, Kiev is a major industrial center, home to an array of companies specializing in engineering, electronics, food processing, and other services. Covering a total of 324 square miles, Kiev, like Toronto, is a richly cultural city boasting more than 100 museums, 33 theatres, and 140 libraries. Kiev’s humid continental climate is also very similar to its Ontario sister, with average temperatures ranging from 23 to 76°F.
Ukraine is home to exceptionally fertile soil, called chernozem or ‘black soil,’ though it is not used for fruit or vegetable production. Instead, the government has been subsidizing the construction of greenhouses to reduce produce imports, with over 600 acres currently devoted to vegetable production. Toronto’s provincial sibling, Leamington, has over 1,500 acres of greenhouse production.
Renewed Focus: The 2000s Milan, Italy (partnership; 2003) The second largest city in Italy, the municipality of Milan (Comune di Milano) is home to approximately 1.3 million people with a total urban area population of 3.1 million, though the extended metro area includes an estimated 7.4 million people.
Like Toronto, Milan is a business and financial nerve center for its country, and also happens to be one of the top fashion cities in the world. Not far from Milan’s city center is a rural area known as the South Milan Agricultural Park, a thriving territory that produces a significant amount of rice and vegetable crops for Italians.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (friendship; 2006) The largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is located on the banks of the Saigon River. Its extended metropolitan area has a population of more than 10 million— a whopping 4 million more residents than its partner city Toronto.
Ho Chi Minh City accounts for more than 20 percent of Vietnam’s GDP with the ag industry employing more than half of the population. Primary crops include rice, corn, sugarcane, cassava, sweet potatoes, and nuts. Vietnam has a robust trade relationship with Canada and is its top partner among the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states.
Quito, Ecuador (friendship; 2006) Quito, officially called San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of Ecuador. The city is home to nearly 2.7 million people and located at an elevation of 9,350 feet above sea level, making it the second highest capital city in the world. Quito has a subtropical highland climate, wet and dry seasons, and cool temperatures ranging from an average of 48 to 67°F.
Top industries include textiles, metals, and agriculture—major exports include coffee, sugar, cacao, tropical fruits (including bananas), and rice. Agriculture accounts for 6.2 percent of Ecuador’s GDP and employs nearly 28 percent of the country’s workforce.
Canada and Ecuador have been trade partners since 1960, with agricultural products making up the bulk of imports and exports between the two countries.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (friendship; 2015) With a population of 6.4 million, Rio de Janeiro is home to even more residents than its sister city of Toronto. With a tropical savanna climate, Rio often experiences long periods of heavy rain from December to March. Temperatures vary according to elevation and distance from the coast, with averages ranging from 66 to 86°F and record highs of nearly 110°F.
Home to a booming economy, Rio has the second largest GDP in Brazil after São Paulo. The services sector accounts for the largest portion of GDP, followed by commerce, industrial business, and agriculture. Countrywide, agriculture represents 5.6 percent of Brazil’s GDP and employs 20 percent of the workforce. Brazil’s top crops include citrus, soybeans, rice, corn, sugarcane, and cocoa. Canada and Brazil have been strengthening trade ties in recent years with both imports and exports rising.
More Partnerships
As Toronto continues to forge ties with cities across the globe, such relationships contribute to better cultural understanding and promote economic development.
“I’ve always thought it was a neat concept,” remarks Sarraino. “It’s a great way to connect on cultural community activities shared between friendship cities and a great way to promote trade between partnership cities.”
If Toronto were to select an eleventh sister, Sarraino has a few thoughts: “I would choose a major city most similar to Toronto on a continent that is not currently represented,” he says, suggesting Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, or Adelaide in Australia or South Africa’s Johannesburg or Cape Town.
“I think Toronto is such a large city, it should partner with bigger metropolitan centers like Miami, Los Angeles, or Dallas,” shares Rubini. He adds it would also be a good idea to partner with a Mexican city.
“Since we’re part of NAFTA [the North American Free Trade Agreement],” Rubini suggests, “why not strengthen the relationship between Mexico and Canada? We already have a significant amount of trade between our countries, and we can further focus on more direct trade between our cities.”
