would meet with the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Dan Newman. Newman agreed to fund an international symposium in Sudbury. Experts from around the world, including Australia, New Mexico, and Finland attended, and on May 17, 2001, Tony Clement, the new Minister of Health, announced in Sudbury a new stand-alone medical school that would specialize in preparing students for northern, rural and remote practice. It would be the first medical school to be opened in Canada in over thirty years. In October 2001, Harris came to Sudbury to name the implementation management committee with Gordon as chair. Its purpose was to develop a business and implementation plan for the school and to communicate with northern communities to establish a vision statement. Gordon viewed the establishment of the medical school as his and the North's major political achievement. It was the first time the entire North was united and achieved a project of this magnitude. Broadband infrastructure Gordon was the architect of the city's telecommunications strategy, which included the building of broadband infrastructure to link health services, academic institutions, and municipal services, and nascent film industry, as well as attracting telecom industries such as call centres. Approximately 3,000 jobs were created in the technology sector between 1995 and 2000. In 1998, he secured $1 million in funding from the provincial government to launch sureNet (Sudbury Regional Network), Sudbury's fibre-optic communications network. Gordon was the founding chair of the sureNet consortium, which included partners such as health, education, municipal and private groups. NetCentral In 1999, Gordon became the founding chairman of NetCentral, a not-for-profit corporation supported by the mayors of Sudbury, Chapleau, Parry Sound, Elliot Lake and Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands. The purpose of NetCentral was to develop a high speed, high capacity telecommunications network infrastructure to foster economic development and create jobs, and to create better access to educational and health services in and among Northern Ontario communities. NetCentral was incorporated in 1999 to develop a high-speed telecommunications network infrastructure for the following purposes: to connect communities, public agencies and organizations; to enhance access to educational and health services in northern communities; and to promote technology oriented economic development and job creation in Northern Ontario. As a result of Sudbury's high-speed telecommunications network Sudbury attracted companies such as Teletech and Canadian Blood Services, creating thousands of jobs for the region. Music and film industry support Gordon worked closely with