Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, three city councillors and four City of Burnaby staff members are south of the border this week on a sister-city trip expected to cost the city $30,400.
The eight city officials have joined representatives from the Burnaby Board of Trade, Tourism Burnaby, SFU and private businesses on a trip to Mesa, Ariz.
The April 9 to 13 visit will recognize the 25th anniversary of the Burnaby-Mesa sister city relationship that began in 1998 with a connection between the two cities' Rotary Clubs, according to City of Burnaby public relations manager Chris Bryan.
In the past 10 years, Mesa delegations have visited Burnaby three times, in 2014, 2018 and 2023.
Burnaby's last visit to Mesa was in 2016.
The city was invited to Arizona for 2020, but that trip couldn't go ahead because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bryan said this year's trip will include visits to Mesa city facilities and presentations from Mesa officials on the city's economic development and innovation; transportation and infrastructure; and arts and culture.
"These exchanges are an excellent way for cities to share ideas and plans for shared priorities between Mesa and Burnaby, such as green initiatives and economic development opportunities," Bryan said. "The city's relationship with Mesa has also facilitated several student exchanges with SD41 secondary schools."
In fact, two Burnaby school board members were asked to join the delegation, but chair Bill Brassington turned down the offer in a letter to city council last month.
He told the city the trip "does not align with the current priorities of the board."
When asked by the NOW whether cost was a factor in the board's decision, Brassington said "the cost for individual trustees to travel is not a budget priority that the board wanted to take on."
International junkets by City of Burnaby officials have drawn criticism in the past from those questioning whether they are worth the cost to taxpayers.
During his 2018 municipal campaign, Coun. Joe Keithley said the Greens would end all taxpayer funded trips outside Canada if they were elected.
"I don't think it's worth the money," he told the NOW in April 2018. "Going on junkets is a sense of entitlement. Politicians should not be acting like elites; that's what our local politicians in Burnaby are acting like."
When the current Mesa trip came to council in January, however, it sparked no discussion, and Keithley was part of its unanimous approval.
The NOW has reached out to Keithley and is waiting to hear back.
Cost breakdown
Joining Hurley on the trip are his executive assistant Elaine Wong, councillors Pietro Calendino, James Wang and Richard Lee, and senior staff Leon Gous, CAO, Mary Morrison-Clark, general manager of parks, recreation and culture, and May Phang, general manager of engineering.
Bryan broke down the city’s estimated $2,800 cost per person as follows:
- Airfare: $750 (economy)
- Accommodations: $1,600
- Meals: $450
Bryan said the city also budgeted an extra $8,000 to cover the cost of shared ground transportation, tokens of appreciation for the Mesa hosts and one dinner the Burnaby delegation will host for its American counterparts.
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