Mayor Off to China…Again
Thursday, October 3, 2013 @ 3:57 AM
Prince George, B.C.- Mayor Shari Green, City Manager Beth James and Initiatives Prince George CEO Heather Oland will be heading off to China next month.
In a report to Council, that will be presented on Monday night, Mayor Green says the meeting is the result of an invitation from her counterpart in Jiangmen, the city Prince George has been trying to “twin” with.
The Mayor says during her visit, she will be gifting to Jiangmen, an exhibit developed by Barkerville to promote the Chinese link between this region and Jiangmen.
She says she will also “continue to explore opportunities for cooperation, particularly in the areas of local government administration, economic development, education, and culture.” The actual invitation from the Mayor of Jiangmen invites Mayor Green to Jiangmen to visit the Barkerville exhibit and “conduct exchanges on our cities’ administration functions and explore opportunities for communication and cooperation in the future.”
The cost of the trip has not been detailed in this report to Council, but the Mayor indicates it will be covered by the balance of dollars in the “twinning account.”
This is the Mayor’s second trip to Jiangmen in one year. The trip last November was said to have cost just over $24 thousand dollars. When reporting on that trip last year, the Mayor said the delegation ( herself, Councillors Wilbur and Hall and IPG’s Heather Oland) came home with a memorandum of understanding between the City of Jiangmen and the City of Prince George on "further enhancing and developing friendship and cooperation between the two cities and promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people of Jiangmen and Prince George."
Comments
I am really thinking that Sherri Green has no desire to run as mayor in the future, she could not waste hard earned tax dollars on a new parking system, so what better way then another trip to China.
I believe that it was thought that the first ttrip should have been put on hold the first time until the new city manager arrived in town!
i just think its an abuse of property tax dollars to be paying for municipal politicians to do international travel. This kind of thing has nothing to do with administering a city and its basic services.
For 24 grand I’ll be your friend! No need to go to China now. :)
Totally disgusting that they are yet again spending our money this way….
Given the continuing Barkerville connection which seems to be keeping this relationship alive, how come Quesnel is not the City to make these trips?
Do we not have a Chinese citizen of PG who has ancestors from that area of China we could include in that trip? There must have been Chinese people in PG in the early years.
What the heck is a “twinning” account? (rhetorical) They actually set tax payer money aside for twinning purposes? That’s a priority?
Looks like a little fall vacation for Mayor Green and friends. Funded by the beleaguered tax payers of Prince George…Bon Voyage ;)
As per earlier stories on this, the province has been encouraging cities to twin with China and possibly other countries to increase international relationships.
The City received some funds from BC to be used for that reason. That is why the account exists to track that money.
That being said, I want to know what we are gaining from this. The difference between that city and PG should be like night and day.
What are the tangibles which benefit us as well as Jiangmen so far? What could they be?
A picture of Jiangmen
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/bb/f8/65/jiangmen-crane-lake-holiday.jpg
On a clear day, one can see forever.
Maybe there is something we have in common. Need to take someone from PACHA to take some formaldehyde readings. ;-)
Farmers market in Jiangmen.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chien26/2317489903/sizes/l/in/photolist-KoVry-4wMJNi-4wMK1t-4wMKcP-4wRSDd-4wRSJm-4wRTjN-59R5tJ-5nv5zP-5nv5LH-5nv64D-5nv6aX-5nv6hP-5nv6wa-5nzjv1-5nzjSA-5nzkdL-5BWVsZ-5C2ecw-6u3VYp-71bYP3-71dvT4-73j8X5-73jdbY-73kLsZ-73VWGm-745Eew-7KAnJn-8dApGa-c24YkQ-c24Ywq-c24YWU-c24YDQ-8WBbNX-g8rAwr-7GVwD1-7GVAVS-7GVAW5-7GVAV9-7GVwDf-7GVwCE-7GVwD5-7GVwCS-7GVAVG-7GVwCA-7GVAVb-7GVAVh-c5DWiY-c5DYNW-c5DYCS-c5DXJ3
After the last junket the following statement was on this site.
“A delegation from Jiangmen was invited to return to Prince George in 2013 at which time it is hoped an official twinning agreement will be signed.”
Have not seen hide nor hair of them reported in local media. Did they come here and it was just not reported?
Green farewell tour?
We have a twin or two already from the Kinsley era! Quesnel has a twin too. No need for anymore twins.
Wow, it never fails, our small town mayors
feel they have become politicians with a bit of fame. Then they convince themselves that they have to travel to stimulate the econonmy. We would be so much further ahead
if these 3 woman would just stay home.
If they did, heck we could give a bit of the wasted money to salivation army for food.
Just saying.
I agree with Gus that Quesnel should be the City that is involved in this trip, especially if the main reason is Barkerville.
Pr George likes to think it has some connection with Barkerville, however as usual they are just trying to steal someone else’s thunder.
Quesnel twinned with a Japanese City many years ago and as far as I know nothing of any substance came out of it, other that a sign on the side of the road announcing the twinning.
Other Cities in the USA twinned with Jiangmen many years ago. We are a day late and a dollar short. So whats new.
Really, another $20,000 bill to send the mayor and her buddies to China.
Are we really making inroads into China. I think we did great when we sent a statesman like Pat Bell in, and it got our sawmills up and running again. But, I really don’t see anyone making inroads.
Shame on you Mayor, You want to go to China, pay for it yourself.
I love the editorial slant on the headline. However in this case I agree with most everyone here. This kind of activity is a waste of time with little or no payoff in the end.
As for the thought it’s a ‘vacation’, well, it would probably be the most boring vacation ever bookended by very long plane rides. Hardly fun IMO.
And I don’t care if the Province gave the City money to do it, in the end, it’s all tax dollars that pay for this kind of stuff.
If they made it a one way trip, I’d pay for it myself.
The tourist board of the city of Jiangmen are freaking geniuses….for the cost of a stamp or a phone call they get hick town mayors from all over to bring wads of foreign currency to fill hotels and restaurants…..last November’s trip for example.
Hotel, ground transportation and admission fees $ 7,596.56
Meals $743.72
Gifts $ 1,446.00
Miscellaneous $ 1,403.00
Translation services $ 1,440.00
And to top it off these rubes bring gifts!!!
BTW Hardly editorial slant when it is the second junket in less than a year.
totally unbelievable. Again.
What an amazingly expensive waste of time. Ah well, these little adventures will make great dinner conversation for Sherri, once she returns to obscurity.
Looks like the twinning account is quadrupletting
Gotta become really good friends with the Chinese before they completely take over Canada.
Interesting that Green can make the effort to go all the way to China but when she is invited to come to Otway Road to see how ridiculous the speed limit change on the straight stretch is, she declines.
Power has its perks. As long as she doesn’t order a $16 orange juice, I’m good.
Gotta get that Christmas shopping done. Thanks taxpayers.
Hell no worry the money comes from the Twining account ??? really and were did that money come from????? that a bloody joke. Twin my a#%
STOP HER…. is is CRAZY who does she think she is
STOP SPENDING my MONEY on YOUR HOLIDAY… fix the roads lower the taxes….. give me a break
I think out of there $30,000 or so they get for not doing much it should go towards there trips it is all pleasure and not business anyways then maybe they might spend it more wisely.
Sure do hope China is paying for this trip as we the taxpayers can most certainly do without this extra bill to foot!!!!
Wow.. Fiscal restraint? Parking meters are too expensive (with the intent of off setting the tax burden for tax payers with supplementary civic income for roads and sidewalks etc.) however a nice girls trip to China is a great idea. Go hob knob with no regard for the community you were elected to oversee. This place is just screwed up, I had no idea that this village was run this way. People* (*elected individuals) just run off doing whatever the hell they feel like doing and the tax payers will foot the bill one way or another.
Maybe it’s time for some civil unrest, oh wait this is Prince George, no body really gives a damn here. Clearly counselors can avoid paying there taxes for extended periods of time, so why not us. The system is clearly broken here.
I’ll echo Gus & Palopu; What does PG have to do with Barkerville? We’re not even considered in the same geographical grouping, Barkerville is mapped in BC as the Cariboo along with Quesnel & area. The gracious thing for our Mayor to do would be to “gift” the trip to the mayor of Quesnel.
SO much for leading by example and following the principle behind the core review. Simply put, building international relations is NOT a CORE function of municipal government.
These efforts are the responsibility of the provincial and the federal government to pursue or at the very least pay for.
So far dozens of trips to China from this mayor and previous mayors have produced absolutely nothing.
This junket is a massive waste of our hard earned tax dollars, something the mayor said she wouldn’t do.
This is just another sign that she is totally out of touch with the average working stiff. Hum maybe a senate seat is what she is interested in. She would certainly fit right in with Pamela Walin. LOL.
what a bloody joke this is all becoming!
If ever I need to go to a place with Chinese atmosphere, I can go to WalMart.
cheeto:”Funded by the beleaguered tax payers of Prince George.”
That just about says it all! Grotesque!
What’s next?
I have a simple idea about spending that money more wisely Mayor Green.Place more garbage cans in areas around town where people tend to walk their dogs off leash and they don’t pick up after their dogs because they are just to lazy to carry that bag of poop.More garbage cans around town may also encourage people to toss their garbage into the containers rather than on the ground,therefore making for a cleaner,tidier city.The regional districts stupid $6 fee on foothills has already created illegal dumping on some of the more isolated areas around PG.Maybe have a city truck attend those areas and clean them up,instead of flying off to China every chance you get,and we wouldn’t have such a bad reputation as a dirty,crime ridden hole in the ground.
Going to China twice in one year! She is out doing former Mayor Kingley’s record ….might help her if she intends to run in the 2015 federal election but will most definitely not weigh in her favour if she runs for the mayor’s seat again.
I think the voter turnout next mayoral election is going to be really high just so people make sure there is no chance she gets voted in again.
This announcement makes for a sad day in Prince George
“The trip last November was said to have cost just over $24 thousand dollars . . . the Mayor said the delegation came home with a memorandum of understanding between the City of Jiangmen and the City of Prince George on “further enhancing and developing friendship and cooperation between the two cities and promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people of Jiangmen and Prince George”
They paid $24K for that string of nonsense? Oh wait, I guess I better check first . . .
So is there anyone in PG who now has a mutual understanding and friendship with someone from Jiangmen?
I would not have a problem if they were paying their own way . I do not feel as a taxpayer I should have to pay for other peoples holidays .
I said it before, Sheri will keep returning to China until she finds Colin Kinsley’s lost lampshade party hat.
Breaking News…
“Mayor of Prince George caught heating her home by burning $100 bills of tax payers money!”
I’m more surprised by the public’s shock that she is doing this than the fact she is doing it. Exactly what has she done in her term that is positive? Why is she still in office?
Ever notice how the City staff is being overloaded with women since Sheri showed up? 3 women going to China to do business??? I’m betting they just humor them along. Just saying —
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