It was a long flight, but five people from the community of Kouga, on the east coast of South Africa, were happy to
arrive in Prince Edward County today (Monday).
The South African delegation will tour the county for a week as part of a knowledge exchange between the two communities on how best to run the various departments in a local government.
Delegations from Prince Edward County will also be travelling to Kouga in the future. The exchange program is supported financially by Global Affairs Canada, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and the South African Local Government Association.
The program runs into 2020.
Kouga, population 112,000, is similar to Prince Edward County in that it has strong tourism and agriculture industries. Surfing brings big tourism dollars to the community, and commercial fishing and citrus groves are the agricultural mainstays. The region produces some wine as well.
The delegation will not only meet with county municipal staff, there will be discussions with several other organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce.
The delegation will learn how the county runs transportation, how it manages energy, garbage and other resources.
Climate change initiatives will also be on the agenda.
Mayor of Prince Edward County Robert Quaiff welcomed the delegation, saying he was happy to be part of a program passing important knowledge on to others as “we are all citizens of the world”.
A representative from the South African delegation had high praise for Prince Edward County, saying “we are sure we will learn a lot over the next few days. What an immaculate, pristine community you have here. We didn’t see one piece of paper flying around!”
The councillor from Kouga drew laughter from those at the event when he went on to say “when you visit us, we will have some great surprises for you. We have lots of sharks in Kouga, and all kinds, big and small!”