Sister Cities
Twinning is a relationship between two cities of different cultures, also known as a “Sister City”.
The primary purpose of a Sister City is to promote greater international understanding, goodwill and peace as well as to foster education, social, cultural, industrial and commercial ties of friendship and mutual understanding between Castlegar and its twin cities.
Castlegar has twinning agreements with the following cities:
EMBETSU, JAPAN
In 1989, representatives of the City of Castlegar and Selkirk College visited Embetsu to sign a Sister City agreement. Since then there have been several visits of adults between the two communities. In 1998, the Castlegar-Embetsu Educational Exchange Program began with a group of eight students traveling from Castlegar to Embetsu. In 1999 Castlegar welcomed six students.
The Town of Embetsu is located on the northern tip of the island of Hokkaido, Japan and has a population of 4,000 citizens. Agriculture, one of the township's key industries, has prospered by focusing on rice production. Embetsu has become well established as an important food producing area in Hokkaido. Other agricultural products are melons, asparagus and Japanese radishes. Scallops, flatfish, octopi, mottled skate and salmon are the leading commercial species fished in Embetsu.
Stephenville, Newfoundland
In June of 1998, the City of Castlegar and the Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce entered into a Community Leaders Partnership Program (CLPP) Agreement with the Town of Stephenville, Newfoundland. The CLPP is a cost-shared initiative, financially supported by a partnership that includes the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Government of Canada and the Royal Bank of Canada. The goal of CLPP is to promote cooperation and understanding in the areas of economic, social, cultural and linguistic development among Canadians from communities across the country.
YUEYANG, CHINA
In 1991 the Sister City Agreement between the City of Castlegar and the City of Yueyang was signed.
The City of Yueyang is located at the lakeside of Dongting Lake in the northeast of Hunan Province, Peoples Republic of China. The City has a population of 4.47 million and covers an area of 15,019 square kilometers. Yueyang enjoys a mild climate with plenty of rainfall. Tourist attractions in Yueyang include the Yueyang Tow, Cishi Tower, Lusu Tomb, Yuexhou Cultural Temple, the Jun and Bian Mountains and Nanhu Park.