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Toronto, Montreal mayors to join forces on politics, business and security

Toronto, Montreal mayors to join forces on politics, business and security

Toronto and Montreal are no longer competitors, the mayors of Canada's two largest cities announced on Wednesday.

Mayor John Tory met with his Montreal counterpart Denis Coderre ahead of the Montreal mayor's lunchtime speech at the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

"The two solitudes are over," announced Coderre, referring to the divide that once was said to separate English and French Canada.

Coderre said the "metropolis of Canada and the metropolis of Quebec" would now join forces.

Coderre focused on security issues, including battling anti-Semitism, as well as an international strategy on investment. He also mentioned the two cities could be a counterbalance to the federal government in the next general election.

Tory zeroed in on business partnerships. He said he would go to Montreal to work together on luring international business to the two cities, specifically in aerospace, biotech and pharmaceuticals.

Alliances all over

"There was a day when Toronto and Montreal were competing," said Tory, mentioning the now-defunct Expos and the Blue Jays of the Major League Baseball, and the Canadiens and Maple Leafs of the NHL. "Things change."

The two mayors said they were forming alliances all over Canada, with Calgary, Halifax and Vancouver.

"In this very complicated and very competitive world, we are going to gain more … on behalf of building a strong Canada by working together," said Tory. "Teamwork is going to produce wins."

This was the first meeting of mayors for Canada's two major cities. Former mayor Rob Ford never met with the Montreal mayor, Coderre saying at the time that he did not want to have anything to do with the controversial Ford.