Joanne Layh | [email protected]
A delegation from Jasper may well be headed to Japan next year.
At Tuesday鈥檚 regular council meeting legislative services coordinator Kayla Byrne recommended that council approve sending a delegation to Hakone for the 2020 budget year.
Jasper and Hakone have been sister cities since 1972, making it one of the oldest relationships in the province of Alberta.
In her report to council, Byrne said the purpose of establishing sister city relationships is to promote friendship, education and tourism.
Jasper last sent a delegation back in 2012. The town of Hakone sent a delegation here in 2015 and inquires regularly about the next Jasper delegation visiting Hakone.
Since 2018 $2,000 has been allocated per year into a reserve for a future delegation.
At a recent Hospitality and Twinned Communities Committee meeting the committee recommended sending a delegation in 2020.
The last time a delegation was sent five members of council took part in the delegation, along with some spouses, one staff member and members of the public. The total amount claimed was $11,894.99.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been too long already and I think I speak for the committee in saying that we take the view that either we need to do our best to send a delegation in 2020 or we need to acknowledge that the community no longer has the will to keep the program current. Speaking for myself, I think that would be sad and unfortunate,鈥� Coun. Paul Butler said.
Butler went on to say the relationship is a deeply embedded cultural aspect of the community that he believes is valuable.
鈥淥ne of the things that occurs to me that if we do determine to keep this relationship alive we had, until our failure recently to return a visit to Hakone, been on a two year rotation with Hakone. If we visited in 2020 that would position them to be back in 2022, which happens to be the 50th anniversary so it would be a really excellent time to put that in motion now,鈥� Mayor Richard Ireland said.
The matter will return to council for a decision on Dec. 3.
