Members of Burlington Mundialization Committee and Mayor Meed Ward look forward to commemorating 35 years of twinning with Itabashi, Japan this fall
Earlier this summer at the July 8, Committee of the Whole meeting, the Office of the City Clerk provided Council with further information regarding the upcoming official delegation trip to Itabashi, Japan.
These visits are part of our dual exchange with our twin city Itabashi and occur every five years (once per Council term) where both of our cities send reciprocal official delegations. The last time this occurred was in 2019.
The 35th anniversary celebration of our twinning relationship that took place over the July long weekend was a moving, and meaningful opportunity for us to celebrate Burlington with Itabashi Mayor Takeshi Sakamoto and the Official Itabashi, Japan Delegation. From visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Art Gallery of Burlington, to stopping in at local Burlington businesses, and celebrating Canada Day at Spencer Smith Park, it was great to share these experiences together with the Official Itabashi, Japan Delegation and the Burlington community.
Now, the City is looking ahead to our visit to Itabashi this fall, where appointed staff, Itabashi sub-committee members, representatives of the Burlington Mundialization Committee, and I will continue to further cultivate the partnership and bond that has developed between our two cities over the past three decades.
Burlington’s twin city relationships are actively supported by members of the Burlington Mundialization Committee – an established committee of Burlington City Council made up of Burlington community members, including Itabashi residents in Burlington. Beyond it’s members, it’s great to see the Burlington community overall join in to celebrate our twinning, whether by attending Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Festival, Canada Netherlands Friendship Day or participating in Canada Day celebrations at Spencer Smith earlier this summer. Most importantly, these celebrations and relationships help us work towards our broader goal of promoting Burlington as a world community dedicated to the United Nations philosophy of peaceful cooperation between people of the world through the understanding of different cultures.
The full report is available online here.