6 Oct 2025 Council meeting Governance

Friendship City Program and Policy

Motion
That Council: 1. Support the establishment of a Friendship City Program; and, 2. Endorse the Friendship City Policy as attached in the Staff Report titled “Friendship City Program and Policy”, dated 2025-OCT-06.
Minutes, page 7
Sources
Agenda itemCity agenda, whole meeting
Staff reportPage 1
Purpose
To bring forward a Friendship City Program and Policy that sets the criteria and process for international city partnerships.
Staff report, page 1
Staff recommendation
That Council: 1. Support the establishment of a Friendship City Program; and 2. Endorse the Friendship City Policy as attached in the Staff report titled “Friendship City Program and Policy” dated 2025-OCT-06.
Staff report, page 1

Janice Perrino Yes

Brown. Thank you, your worship. I'm actually very familiar with. The Friendship City program. And. It can be very costly. This is an excellent compromise, allowing us to take advantage of all of the pluses of having a program like this and still reducing the cost. So I'm very pleased to see that this has come forward. Thank you so much for your presentation. It's. Wonderful to have you here.

Tyler Brown No

However, not based on that. Just on the policy. I won't be supporting it. I just think if. This can be absorbed. Into existing resources. I would rather other work be completed so won't be supporting it. Thanks. Thank you very. Much, councilor Thorpe.

Hilary Eastmure Yes

Count three. Smear, then. Councilor Hemmons, thank you. Yes, I'm happy. To support this. Because specifically, the part where it says that under this model, the day to day coordination and programming is managed and funded by the sponsoring local nonprofit organization. So. I think if this were to be the case for this particular friendship city agreement, that was spoken to today which thank you very much for that I think it's really cool that the community organization is stepping up and wanting to help. Build that partnership to benefit both our city and the friendship city. And. I see a lot of potential benefits to that, especially when you have an organization like the Naimo Chinese Cultural association, which hosted the Mid Autumn festival and included a lot of other local community groups in that. And so I think the inclusiveness of that event really spoke to the potential here. So I'm happy to support. Thank you.

Erin Hemmens Yes

I think this formalizes something that is already happening, and it puts some structure that is good for staff and good for those applying to something that's already happening. I also appreciate the. Cost neutrality of it in support.

Questions and answers

Councillor Ian Thorpe
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
Thank you, your worship. Through you, if I may, to Ms. Manhouse. Thanks for being here, and thank you to the delegation. If I'm reading the report correctly, Ms. Manahass, it says that actually, we already have as a city memorandum of understanding regarding friendship cities. This proposal would simply
Laura Mercer
Speaker identificationConfident
answeredGeneral Manager, Corporate Services
formalize. How it operates. We actually don't have an existing policy at all around whether we can engage in sisters. Cities or friendship cities, but we do have. Three existing policies or memorandums of understanding. One is with our tsuki, Japan. Another one is with a city in China. It's in my report here. Yeah. Sorry. Let me get to that here. Yeah. So there's another one with Sunya Nigana and another one with Gulian. China. So there's three. Existing memorandums of understandings that we have, but they are not really guided by any kind. Of policy, which generally results. In. Really no outcomes. Because there's nothing attached to them. So this policy actually, Is very effective in the sense that, and this is what most of the municipalities are doing currently. Because. It states that there are these specific things we will accomplish. And there's a term, a five year term, after which it expires. It's very project based. It's cost neutral to a city, so, really, There's no downsides to it because any of the costs for any events. Or festivals that will happen. Are incurred by the sponsoring. Organization. Right? Thanks very much. So I did read
followed up
that correctly. We do have mous, but not policy, and I think policy is important, and I think this is a worthwhile program, especially seen as you point out, it's cost neutral, so I'll be supporting it. Thank you. Thank