City Manager Files Details on Trip to China
Prince George, B.C.- The report is in on the City Manager’s trip to China and members of Council are applauding the mission.
City Manager Kathleen Soltis and Economic Development manager Melissa Barcellos travelled to China as delegates with the Premier’s Trade Mission.
In her report to Council, Soltis says the trip came about following meetings with International Trade Minister Teresa Wat at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in September. An initiation was made for City representatives to join the Premier’s Trade Mission”, which they did.
The City Manager says the trade mission “provided City of Prince George Administration with a valuable, cost-effective opportunity to engage with government officials and investors who have an interest in Prince George and BC as a whole. ”
The trip cost $12,300 an amount Councillor Garth Frizzell says may be more than covered if just two students make the decision to come to Prince George for their education.
The fact it was the Premier’s Trade Mission gave it weight says Councillor Jillian Merrick “This was not just some hokey pokey junket.” Mayor Hall also stood behind the mission saying “This was not just getting on a plane with a couple of people and trying to see who you could see. This was a very well organized trade mission, and to get the invitation was certainly something. I think having the Premier and her staff open doors for us to be able to have conversations with business foks and educational partners would not have happened if it was just us going on our own. This was really a benefit to be able to tag on to this Trade Mission.”
Councillor Brian Skakun praised the City’s participation, but added that perhaps, there could have been some better communication with the public so they were aware of the City’s participation before the trip was taken. Councillor Murry Krause added that it may be valuable to develop some sort of way to report out the benefits garnered from such missions “Because this won’t be the last one we are expected to participate in”
Comments
Blah blah blah.. Not a peep from city hall till after the trip.. Tells me they knew it was a waste of money to go.. UNBC or CNC have all the info any possible students needs to know.. Say want you want frizzel but it’s a free trip for two overpaid city workers..
Love the last comment …Because this won’t be the last one we are expected to participate in…really…in other words thanks to taxpayers more trips are the norm for the whole group of overpaid individuals and underworked!
Skype much? Would the city do this silly expense of 12k if it was there personal business? Of course not. On the back of the taxpayer everything is justifiable. The irony in all the recent climate awareness the city if shouting from the city hall, and they travel by air, to the most polluted country in the world, for a conversation … it’s just so typical, and yet another reason why I won’t buy into any of the ‘green movement’ they are selling.
It’s a treasure hunt. City staff have been looking all over China for Colin Kinsley’s lost lampshade.
These trips should be taxable benefits. Let them pay the income tax implications and see if they still want to go. The Chinese sure know how to use bureaucracy travel schemes and some ‘expressions of interest’ to pad their tourism industry.
The city shouldn’t be in the business of paid holiday promotion tours promoting hypothetical investments for the private sector. If its part of signing the conclusion to a firm deal that would involve the city directly, then that is another matter.
What exactly is the role of the city in such trade missions? In some cases, there may be a point in federal officials engaging in trade missions, in other to sweeten relations, if they need to be improved, or in order to deal with policy, legal, and regulatory issues that interfere with trade. Similarly, I see the point of representatives of individual businesses participating in trade missions – they are the people who will ultimately engage in trade if it comes about. Municipal officials, however, do not represent the businesses that will actually engage in trade nor do they control such things as tariff policy, banking regulation, environmental and health regulations, resolution of legal disputes and so forth. As far as I can see, only when a municipal or other lower-level government unit is actively involved in developing some kind of business is there any reason for municipal officials to be involved in trade missions. What am I missing?
Some municipalities, mainly in the USA, but likely also now in Canada, too, to a certain extent, give generous tax breaks to businesses they hope to attract to their areas. This might be one reason why the City is involved ~ to be able to directly answer questions from prospective businesses possibly wanting to locate here about the availability of land, zoning requirements, property tax rates, other municipal services and their costs, etc. The Chinese will drive a hard bargain. It’ll be tough to compete with other places that are going to be a lot more generous towards them setting up shop over here. But if there’s no effort put forth, what, then, does that look like? That we’re not really as hungry for ‘jobs’ as we’re supposed to be? Which begs the question, “Are we?” Will the ones so concerned now about the ‘cost’ then be just as critical that no one in government is doing enough to bring in more ‘jobs’? Or do we want to join that race, to the bottom, perhaps, but you just never know, do you?
Anytime I have been at the airport, I see council members travelling with their briefcases. Brian had the right suggestion, make it clear to the taxpayers if your going to spend money doing political work.
Murray says get used to it.
onemansthoughts, Murray says get used to it!
I suppose we should be ok with it if the trips are not, hmmmm how did Jillian put it, not “hokey pokey junkets”!
OMG! I just had an image of Murray and Jillian, doing the people’s work, all the while singing and doing the “hokey pokey’ in Council Chambers!
“You put your right foot in
You put your right foot out
You put your right foot in
And you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey
And you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about”
All together now, you put your left foot in, you put your left foot out…
“The trip cost $12,300 an amount Councillor Garth Frizzell says may be more than covered if just two students make the decision to come to Prince George for their education.”
So mr frizzell believes we make $12,300.00 net profit per 2 students ?
WOW how much are we charging for enrollment ?
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