Squamish's bond with its sister city deepened on Wednesday (June 23) when the mayor of Shimizu, Japan and seven community representatives spent the day visiting and discussing local government with the local mayor, council members and staff.
Despite noticing a number of similarities among the towns, it would appear mayor in Shimizu's mayor enjoys much more prestige, with a number of comforts unknown to Squamish's leader.
"They were very surprised when I sat down behind the wheel of one of the vans and drove it because in Shimizu the mayor has his own driver," said Mayor Greg Gardner.
Gardner said there were other differences in the way they run local government.
"They have a 17-person council and they only meet four times a year," he said.
"However, their meetings are for multiple days, sometimes up to three weeks, so it's a different way to look at it and do business."
The Japanese delegation was met by Gardner, Coun. Paul Lalli, chief administrative officer (CAO) Kevin Ramsay, planning director Cameron Chalmers and corporate services general manager Robin Arthurs, who spent the day touring Squamish and discussing local government policies and economical development prospects.
Chalmers said another difference was formality and protocol, which is much more rigid among the Shimizu delegation.
"It started with a very regimented business card exchange process that goes in hierarchy based on authority," said Chalmers. "The mayors exchanged first and then other council members and then staff."
Chalmers said although there wasn't anyone in the group with a directly comparable role, he had the opportunity to talk with a volunteer community representative who had some sort of control over development.
"It was fascinating to visit with them and learn a little bit about Japanese local government and the issues they deal with," he said.
"They really take this relationship seriously and I think it's a great thing for us in terms of our ability to look at showcasing our community there."
Gardner said the intent of the relationship is to foster understanding between the two communities and look for cultural exchanges and economic opportunities to benefit both communities.
"We also talked a little bit about what's going on in each community, both from a community make-up and an economic development point of view."
After the morning formal meeting and a Squamish Nation welcoming ceremony, they had lunch at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park with other prominent members of the community the president of the Chamber of Squamish, the dean of Capilano University and the president and two Japanese professors from Quest University.
"We also had Ron Sander, who was instrumental in establishing the sister city relationship," said Gardner.
Gardner and Lalli then took the delegation on a tour of Squamish.
"We showed them the deep sea port, the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation lands, the new development in the community and we ended the tour at Quest University," said Gardner. "We communicated to them our desire to have their students attend Quest University."
Gardner said the day was productive and a positive step in moving forward with the beneficial relationship.
"They were very pleased with learning more about the community, excited about the changes that they had seen in Squamish in the short time since their last visit and excited about Squamish's future.
Shizimu, home to approximately 33,000 people, was established as Squamish's sister city 10 years ago. The town is located within a 100-kilometre radius of Tokyo and in the central urban area of Shizuoka.
It is surrounded with rich natural scenery and has a stunning viewscape of Mt. Fuji. The Kakita River, which produces the largest amount of water in the Orient, runs through the town.
Since the relationship began, more than 118 Shimizu students and several delegations have visited Squamish. On their last trip, they planted the cherry trees in front of the Adventure Centre that blossom every spring.
