EllisDon Construction, a leading construction and building services company, has been awarded the contract for the design, build and operation of the Canada Pavilion and Public Presentation at the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai event.

Together with consortium members Moriyama & Teshima Architects, and Lord Cultural Resources, EllisDon and team will deliver the pavilion and its public presentation space. They will also be joined by Hatch, Kubik, Thornton Tomasetti, NGX and Cisco, according to Canada's Ministry of International Trade Diversification.

Complementary programming, which will include business, investment attraction and cultural components, will unfold in the Canada Pavilion during the 172 days of Expo 2020 Dubai, which will run from October 20 next year to April 10, 2021, it added.

The contract was awarded to EllisDon Construction by Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, at a key event held in Ontario, Canada.

“The Canada Pavilion in Dubai will serve as a meeting place for Canadian business and innovators. It’s one more way our government is opening doors for companies to compete in thriving global markets, secure new contracts, attract international investment and create well-paying jobs for middle-class Canadians," remarked Carr.

"As one of Canada’s premier building firms, EllisDon Construction will bring its world-class construction expertise to Dubai and deliver the Canada Pavilion over the coming months," he added.

A first-of-its-kind event in the region, Expo 2020 Dubai will bring people together from around the globe to the UAE to showcase world innovations and encourage international collaboration.

With an anticipated 25 million visitors, the event will be a platform to showcase Canadian innovation and to promote new business opportunities for Canadian companies and attract international investment in Canada, which in turn will create jobs for the middle class, said the statement from the ministry.  

This Expo will also be a chance to highlight Canadian leadership in top sectors such as advanced technologies, aerospace, artificial intelligence, tourism and education, as well as to promote Canadian values like gender equality and sustainable practices, it added.

On the contract win, Jody K Becker, chief strategy officer and senior vice-president (services) EllisDon, said: "As part of our long-term commitment to our operations in the Middle East, EllisDon is honoured to have been named the successful proponent for the delivery of the design, construction and operation of the Canada Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai."

"Together with our team of expert Canadian and Emirati partners, we look forward to delivering a pavilion that will represent all Canadians and of which we can all be proud," she stated.

Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification, said: "Participating in Expo 2020 will help expand on the existing, strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Canada and the UAE, and, more broadly, the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region."

"We only need to look at the lasting effects that hosting two world fairs has had on the fabric of our nation to understand the potential this initiative represents for Canada and for Canadians," he added.-TradeArabia News Service