Economic cooperation memorandum of understanding: Ontario and Pennsylvania

I. PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

Recognizing a mutual desire to further enhance and strengthen economic relations between Ontario and Pennsylvania and to encourage ongoing dialogue and collaboration, the Province of Ontario, Canada (“Ontario”) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America (“Pennsylvania”) (collectively referred to as “the Participants”) hereby jointly agree to establish a friendly collaborative relationship and enter into this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides a framework for the pursuit of these common goals.

II. AREAS OF COLLABORATION

In the spirit of mutual benefit, the Participants share the intent to collaborate in the following areas:

1. Energy and Electricity                         
   This area of collaboration centers on developing private and public sector opportunities for collaboration in the energy and energy-infrastructure sectors, with an emphasis on, but not limited, to advanced nuclear technologies, hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel production, cross-border resilience planning, grid modernization and cross-border trade, including the development of a cost and benefit sharing framework that could support electricity trade between Canada and the United States through Ontario and Pennsylvania to unlock the affordability and reliability benefits of a cross-border electricity transmission intertie. This area will also explore avenues to bolster supply chain and manufacturing opportunities between the Participants.
2. Critical Minerals                       
   This area of collaboration promotes projects, research and innovation and information exchange in the critical mineral exploration and development sector. Areas covered could include jointly integrated EV battery, clean technology, clean energy, and critical mineral supply chains and partnerships. Other areas of potential collaboration may include mine extraction technology, mineral processing infrastructure and innovation as well as recovery of minerals from previously processed tailings.
3. Advanced Manufacturing                    
   This area of collaboration promotes collaborative projects, research and development, and information exchange regarding advanced manufacturing, in key sectors such as, but not limited to, steel, automotive/electric vehicles (EVs), industrial equipment, robotics, aerospace, and defense. Such collaboration aims to spur manufacturing growth and facilitate cross-border movement of goods, services and people.
4. Agriculture, Agribusiness and Agricultural Technology                   
   This area of collaboration facilitates appropriate information sharing in the fields of agriculture, agricultural technology and agricultural-related sciences by supporting, as appropriate, a productive long-term relationship utilizing relevant public and private entities to exchange best practices and designate areas of growth within the sector. Such collaboration aims to strengthen the sectors by supporting innovation, enhancing market access, and building on the significant and longstanding agri-food relationship between the two jurisdictions.
5. Life Sciences                   
   This area of collaboration is intended to advance sub-sectors of life sciences, including biomanufacturing, biotech, genomics, medical devices and precision medicine. This area will also explore opportunities for cross-border expansion, leveraging biomedical research infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology.
6. Technology and Innovation                   
   This area of collaboration promotes research and information exchange regarding the adoption of AI-enabled robotics as a solution that can optimize productivity and support the development of advanced technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and unmanned surface vessels, and advanced precision manufacturing.
7. Great Lakes                            
   This area of collaboration promotes the continuation of ongoing collaboration on opportunities and activities aimed at the protection, restoration and conservation of the Great Lakes, while supporting sustainable economic growth across the Great Lakes region.

8. Forestry                   
   This area works to improve productivity, enhance competitiveness, support new market access, and bring more products to a commercial-ready state by working with partners to invest in collaborative research that leads to new products and refines emerging applications, in areas such as:

   • advanced wood construction products to support the expansion of the use of wood in the built environment and
   • bioproduct manufacturing and development (for example, biochar and lignin-based materials, sustainable aviation fuel, wood fibre insulation, etc.) to support lower emissions applications

   This area could also involve information exchange regarding forest health restoration and wildland fire management.

III. FORMS OF COLLABORATION & ACTIVITIES

The Participants have reached the following understanding as to their intent to each carry out activities including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Domestic Information Seminars or Webinars: To build awareness of opportunities in the Participants’ markets, and to assist companies and other organizations in connecting with peers who are experienced in doing business in the Participants’ markets.
2. Trade Missions: Coordinating and leading trade missions to the Participants’ markets, with a focus on priority sectors, to help companies and institutions gain access to the partner market. The Participants will endeavour to provide in-market support to their respective trade mission delegates for the duration of travel abroad.
3. Information Sharing & Partnerships: Promote business interactions between the Participants’ markets, including mutual exchange of appropriate business delegations and market information, as well as other cooperative activities (subject to applicable laws, confidentiality and privacy requirements). This may include private sector companies and industry bodies cooperating closely and explore further business opportunities, e.g. through trade and investment delegations.
4. Trade Shows and Conferences: The Participants, and organizations from each Participant’s market, may participate in trade shows, conferences, and other major events to gain market insights, facilitate sector partnerships, and to raise the economic and innovation profile of their respective jurisdictions.
5. Workforce Development: Share best practices to meet the challenges of creating and training a workforce to meet high-demand, high wage job growth created by innovation across all sectors. The Participants will work together to identify opportunities for strategic partnerships and alliances between public organizations, private sector companies and academic institutions, which will strengthen their capabilities to compete in international markets with a trained and ready workforce. This may include facilitating dialogue through support of conferences, workshops, and other meetings on jointly agreed upon topics, targeting especially, but not exclusively, specialized professionals, young people, start-ups, and small businesses.
6. Regulatory Collaboration: Share best practices that support regulatory frameworks that allow for, but are not limited to, experimentation and adoption of transformative technologies, explore approaches to reducing regulatory burdens on companies, while respecting any consumer protection, confidentiality, safety and privacy concerns that may arise. This may include the sharing of publicly available technical information.
7. Academic Collaboration: Support collaboration between academic and research institutions in Pennsylvania and Ontario. This may include encouraging academic and research institutions and the private sector to share information, work together on joint projects (research and development), explore joint training and educational programs (including vocational training), encourage study trips, facilitate career fairs and conduct professional and student/academic exchanges.
8. Collaboration through binational Organizations: Leverage existing binational organizations with shared regional priorities to facilitate collaboration and share best practices, work together on research projects and collect and share data.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, on behalf of Pennsylvania, and the Ontario Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, on behalf of Ontario, intend to form a working group (the “Working Group”) to meet periodically to discuss and explore coordination of these activities pursuant to the MOU.

1. The Working Group’s agenda(s) and time and place of meetings will be jointly decided upon by the Participants.
2. The Participants intend to share chairing duties for the meeting(s). For meetings, including meetings held by videoconference, with no obvious host, the Participants will jointly decide the chairperson in advance of the meeting.
3. The Participants intend to conduct an annual review of activities under the MOU to exchange information on progress and to consider future collaboration opportunities. The Working Group would be responsible for undertaking this review, the members of which will update their respective authorized officials accordingly.
4. The Participants understand that they are each responsible for internal and external financial costs that they may incur in connection with Working Group meetings.

IV. GENERAL MATTERS

No dedicated financial commitments are created by this MOU. The Participants intend to fund their own activities in accordance with their respective budgets and priorities.

1. This MOU supplements any existing Ontario-Pennsylvania MOUs or other arrangements; it does not supplant them.

V. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. Any intellectual property rights arising from activities carried out under this MOU will be attributed, managed, and protected in accordance with the respective state, provincial and national laws of Participants, subject to any alternative arrangements that may be agreed upon in writing by the Participants involved in a specific activity under this MOU.
2. Where the Participants decide to undertake joint research projects under this MOU, they shall establish separate written instruments governing such projects. These instruments will set out the terms and conditions relating to the attribution, ownership, use, and disposition of any intellectual property rights that may arise from the joint research projects activities.

VI. FINAL PROVISIONS

1. To fulfill this MOU, the Participants appoint the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Cabinet Office of the Province of Ontario and the Department of Community and Economic Development of Pennsylvania, respectively, as information exchange bodies to offer necessary support as required.
2. This MOU is not legally binding and therefore does not create any legal, equitable, or financial rights, obligations, or liabilities for the Participants or any participants.
3. This MOU reflects the intent of Ontario and Pennsylvania to work together to advance mutually beneficial avenues of economic collaboration.
4. This MOU will come into effect from the date of signature below. It will remain effective for three years from the signing date. The MOU may be extended or renewed upon the mutual consent of the Participants. Either Participant may terminate this MOU upon providing 60 days’ written notice to the other Participant.

in witness whereof, the undersigned being duly authorized thereto by their respective governments, have signed this Memorandum of Understanding.

Signed at Toronto on June 10, 2026.