Optics and budget constraints were the death of a planned City of Burnaby “friendship” trip to Asia next year.
The junket was part of Burnaby’s friendship and sister city program with cities in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
At a meeting last week, staff said the relationships have “intrinsic long-term benefits for the community, like spreading economic and cultural awareness,” but councillors pointed to the poor optics of government officials taking an international trip when residents are feeling the effects of inflation at home.
Coun. Daniel Tetrault said the proposal “seems very out of touch with what people are facing.”
“People are struggling to pay their own bills and rent, and us going on a trip that costs $15,000 a head just doesn’t seem right.”
Staff estimated the trip could cost between $6,750 to $14,000 per delegate plus up to $45,000 in additional expenses, depending on the length of the trip.
Coun. Maita Santiago also opposed the junket but added it’s still important for Burnaby to have close relationships to international cities as Burnaby has residents from those communities too.
She said as someone from the Philippines, it can be special to hear an elected official has been to one’s home country.
“Not just a staff person but (when) an elected official has seen where you’re from, it’s hard to place a price on that.”
Coun. Alison Gu expressed concerns about the environmental impact of the trip and added it “wasn’t clear” if it would have significant learning opportunities.
Other councillors, however, said the trip should go ahead and cited the economic benefits of the exchanges.
Coun. Pietro Calendino said international students from South Korea and Japan generate millions of dollars for the economy.
He noted the mayor of South Korean sister-city Hwaseong had his two daughters study in Burnaby for about $50,000 a year each.
He added Koreatown on North Road formed thanks to investments from Korean businessmen who were encouraged to come to Burnaby because of the sister city relationship.
“They would never have heard of Burnaby before we started some exchanges and relationships,” Calendino said.
He noted the money for the trip would not come from taxpayers but from one-time use gaming funds.
But those in favour of the trip, councillors Calendino, Sav Dhaliwal and Richard Lee, were outnumbered by the opposition.
Mayor Mike Hurley, who has been under pressure in his role as chair of Metro Vancouver Regional District for international travel, also opposed the trip.
“I just don’t think this is the right time to be travelling given the constraints on budgets,” Hurley said.
