The Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office for Canada, Rosanna Ure, has visited Halifax to garner support for enhancing Hong Kong-Canada collaboration on medical research and business partnerships.

Mrs Ure visited Nova Scotia's Ministry of Health where she updated Senior Medial Adviser Dr David Rippey and the Coordinator for Communicable Disease Prevention & Control on the SARS situation in Hong Kong. She also outlined the effective measures the Government had taken to bring the disease under control, resulting in the World Health Organisation lifting its travel ban against Hong Kong.

They discussed and exchanged views on enhanced collaboration between Nova Scotia and Hong Kong in the areas of communicable disease prevention and control.

Mrs Ure said after meeting that she was greatly encouraged by the positive attitude that the Ministry has shown towards enhancing future exchanges and collaboration to the mutual benefit of Hong Kong and Nova Scotia.

She also met with the Manager of Export Development for the Halifax Ministry of Economic Development, Jim Simpson, and the Director of Marketing Research of Greater Halifax Partnership, Ruth Cunningham, to brief them on the business opportunities available in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta Region - despite the short-term impact of SARS.

Mrs Ure will meet Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly tomorrow, and attend the National Board Meeting of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association