Recently, Attorney Mark High spoke to the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) about “Building an International Business Region”. His talk focused on the new developments at the border and how they will impact the business region in the near future.

Mark started off his speech with looking at how large and special the U.S.-Canada relationship is:

• The U.S. and Canada have the world’s largest two-way trade relationship, with the value of goods and services between the two countries totaling over $740 billion in 2012.

• Almost a quarter of Canada’s trade with the U.S. is with Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. And a quarter of Ontario’s global trade – more than a third of the province’s trade with the U.S. – is with those four states, supporting over 700,000 jobs in those locations.

But maybe the most staggering stat of the region’s trade relationship is if you combine the economic activity of the six states and two provinces that surround the Great Lakes, you have the fourth largest economy in the world, even though it would only be the 12^th largest nation in terms of population.

Mark went on to talk about the improvements being made to the infrastructure of the crossings, including renovated Customs plazas in Windsor and Detroit, and the New International Trade Crossing. He also discussed concerns about the Great Lakes water levels and ballast water, stating that Canada recently ratified an international convention for uniform international requirements pertaining to ballast water, which the U.S. continues to study. The U.S. currently has different sets of federal and state rules pertaining to ballast water.

Mark closed his remarks with a look at the Beyond the Border plan that the U.S. and Canada agreed to in December of 2011. The plan seeks to make border crossings easier for both people and goods, and includes the Cargo Security Strategy, the Joint Border Infrastructure Investment Plan, and an increased focus on the Regulatory Cooperation Council. These programs are designed to coordinate funding for infrastructure projects, address regulatory reforms, and reduce risks associated with shipments.

Mark High is an attorney in Dickinson Wright’s Detroit office. He is also President of the Canada-US Business Association (CUSBA), which began in 1992 to help companies and other cross-border organizations interact in a collaborative and cooperative way. With the support of the Windsor-Essex Chamber, the Detroit Regional Chamber, the Canadian Consulate, and a number of other public and private partners on each side of the border, CUSBA was re-launched last year, intending to draw attention to our common issues, and coordinate viable solutions.

To read Mark High’s whole speech in front of the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918), please click here.