A fair question, and one that
I have wrestled with over the last few months.
To find the answer we need to go back a ways.
In spring 2008 the City
agreed, with financial support from the province, to pursue the development of
an Asia Pacific twinning opportunity.
Unlike traditional sister city or friendship relationships, the focus is
on building long-term relationships that will generate new investment
opportunities for selected communities in BC.
Asia has become a major global economic driver and is increasingly
important to our future. Over 50% of
the coal produced in the Elk Valley is bound for Asia and the Skookumchuck pulp
mill is now owned by the China-based “Paper Excellence” company. Provincially while BC exports to the US are
decreasing, exports to Asia are increasing substantially.
Although the City agreed to
take on the role as a regional centre for this part of BC, due to local
priorities substantial work on this initiative didn’t begin until late 2010
with the commencement of market opportunity research and candidate community
identification.
In 2011, a consultant with
Asia expertise was retained to undertake the initial scouting exercise to
identify potential twinning communities.
In the same year Cranbrook city staff participated in a trade delegation
to Asia (specifically Beijing and Seoul) to assess demand for resources
available in our region, particularly biomass, to develop local contacts in
Asia with the BC and Canada trade representatives, and to get a better
understanding on the protocols and cultural subtleties of working with
officials in China and Korea.
Based on the research in
2011, Cranbrook took the next step to developing formal ties to Asia with a
small delegation from the City making the first formal introductions to
Taicang, China and Wonju, South Korea in February, 2012. These two communities were identified as
having the strongest economic twinning potential for Cranbrook and the region.
During the February 2012
visit a Letter of Understanding to explore economic opportunities was signed
with Taicang, and in August of 2012 Cranbrook hosted a senior
delegation of five municipal officials from Wonju, South Korea. We are expecting a visit from senior city
officials from Taicang, China in the fall of 2013.
The upcoming visit is
intended to strengthen the relationship between Cranbrook and these two Asia
Pacific communities and to explore in more detail the economic opportunities
that may be realized. The visit to Taicang is geared towards natural resource
exports from the
region, opportunities for post-secondary training through the
College of the Rockies (COTR), and in-bound tourism
to the Kootenays. In Wonju, the focus
will be on education and tourism to start with as well as us learning more
about their alternative energy solutions and use of solar energy.
As I said earlier I struggled
with “is this a good investment of Cranbrook citizen’s tax dollars?” The cost estimate is around $10,500 total
for Councillor Scott, Economic Development Officer Kevin Weaver, and me for airfare as once we are over there the host
cities pick up the majority of our costs.
I asked representatives of the Province of BC’s Economic Development
Division both locally and in Victoria if we should do this. Their response was yes - this endeavour is a
great opportunity for Cranbrook and the region,
and to realize the benefits you must commit to maintaining and solidifying the
relationships. Mayors and Councillors are extremely important in
Chinese and Korean cultures and are key to making this initiative work.
My approach then became to do
whatever we could to make it a trade and investment initiative. We have invited other East Kootenay Mayors,
the College of the Rockies, Teck Coal and Canfor representatives to accompany
us. I have asked a business man who
spends a fair bit of time in China selling BC Wood to provide a list of
important people to visit in Taicang. I
have also requested material from the Ktunaxa First Nations and Kootenay
Rockies Tourism to provide material that we can use to encourage more
visitation to our region from China and South Korea, which are both areas of
growth for visits to BC. While I very
much value the twinning of Cranbrook with these cities in Asia I also want to
see some new business come out of it.
Developing trust and a sense of mutual respect is key to making it
happen.
Will we have a successful
trip? I’ll let you know. We leave on June 17 and return on June 27
after spending 3 days in Taicang, 4 in Wonju and 3 days travelling.
I’ll follow up with you upon
our return.
Mayor Wayne Stetski
Cranbrook
I find it interesting that no one else has commented on this article from Mayor Stetski, which has the potential to bring some new jobs and income to our area.
ReplyDeleteIf representatives of the Province of BC’s Economic Development Division, both locally and in Victoria, are positive about this endeavour, and believe it is a great opportunity for Cranbrook and the region, I hope that Mayor Stetski, Councillor Scott, and Economic Development Officer Kevin Weaver are able to develop trust and a sense of mutual respect during their visit, which may result in some new business opportunities for our area. Good luck!!