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LETTER: Become a 'Big Sister' city

Approaching our fair city of Abbotsford from neighbouring communities, I always note the big signs telling us of our sister city ...

Approaching our fair city of Abbotsford from neighbouring communities, I always note the big signs telling us of our sister city – Fukagawa, Japan.

Too often I wonder how well these two “sisters” communicate, and how much of their conversation is passed on to our citizens via the media. To what extent are we benefiting each other?

Should we perhaps consider also becoming a “Big Sister” to a town or community in a Third World country that could gain substantially through what our relatively affluent city has to offer? We have a great variety of businesses and related expertise in Abbotsford, and have become known as a very generous people.

It would be wonderful to share all this with a community that hasn’t been as blessed as we are and which wouldn’t necessarily be in a position to reciprocate. That in itself could make the whole venture much more meaningful.

Individuals, organizations and churches have long been supporting a variety of overseas relief projects, and have recently taken in a goodly number of refugees, so having the City of Abbotsford itself become a “Big Sister” would not be that off the wall, but would be a logical, and exciting, extension of what its citizens are already doing.

Les Friesen