As you read this, Coun. Ron Sander and I are on a plane to Japan to join our sister city, Shimizu Town, as their guests on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.
A "Declaration of Sister City" was signed with Shimizu Town, Japan on Sept. 27, 2003 to establish the Sister City Affiliation between our two towns for the purpose of creating goodwill and trust through better mutual understanding and cultural, supportive and educational exchanges.
We are very proud of our sister city relationship with Shimizu Town. For 10 years now, we have been learning about one another, meeting members of each other's community, and benefiting from the global perspectives we each bring to the relationship. The relationship offers the opportunity to share cultural experiences, as well as explore ways to in which we could pursue economic opportunities between our communities.
In many ways our two communities share similarities with respect to our geography, as well as our economic backgrounds steeped in industry and agriculture. Shimizu is located on the coast of Suruga Bay of the Pacific Ocean and covers a wide area from a coastal plain to the hills. With a population of 32,205 (2009), it is one of three wards of the city of Shizuoka. The main economic drivers are agriculture, heavy industry and commerce. The primary agricultural crops are mandarin oranges, green tea, commercial fishing and roses.
We were thrilled to have welcomed a group of students from Shimizu this past August, as we have done previously. Their visit to our town symbolizes the future of our sister city relationship. These students will become the leaders of tomorrow, and the wonderful friendships they forged during their time with their host families in Squamish will help bridge the distance between our towns for years to come.
In December 2004, the district hosted Shimizu Town delegates for the 40th anniversary of the incorporation of the District of Squamish (with Mamquam and Brackendale). Looking ahead to next year, and in reciprocation of this current visit to Japan, we will invite a Shimizu Town delegation to Squamish next summer to celebrate 50 years of Squamish's incorporation as a district, as well as the 100 years of Squamish history celebration. We will be inviting them to join us for the 2014 edition of the Squamish Days/Loggers Sports Festival, which will be in its 57th incarnation next year, and represents a wonderful showcase of all that Squamish has to offer.
