By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
Four members of the Oliver Ambassadors and two chaperones expressed interest in participating in a July 2024 delegation to the city after being approached by Oliver town staff about the prospect.
It has been established that flights from Kelowna to Tokyo have an estimated cost of $2,285 roundtrip per traveller.
The ambassadors indicated that they have many fundraising opportunities planned to cover their costs of travel.
In 2014, the town sent a student delegation to the city and covered two-thirds of the cost of travel to and from the city. The remaining cost was the responsibility of the student.
Council unanimously agreed on the recommendation from the committee to cover half of the cost of the travel for each of the six people. Half of the cost would equal $1,142.50 per traveller and $6,855 total. This cost amounts to half of the funds that will be in the Sister City Fund once the 2024 funds are added.
While considering the amount the town would contribute to travel costs, it was noted that a Council delegation is being planned to travel to the city in 2025. It was necessary to ensure there are enough funds remaining to accommodate this second trip and to host any upcoming delegations to Oliver from Bandai.
Councillor Petra Veintimilla felt this is a good use of the sister city funds and noted that historically the town has contributed toward supporting student trips.
This decision to send the delegation comes after Oliver welcomed a two-person delegation from Bandai on Oct. 11, 2023 for the first time since 2020. This delegation included Mayor of Bandai Junichi Sato, a town employee and an interpreter from Vancouver.
This year marks the 36th year since the sister city relationship was established.
