Rigaud, four Off-Island counties forge ties with African counterparts
Rigaud and four regional counties including the Vaudreuil- Soulanges MRC have formalized a five-year partnership with municipalities and regions in Burkina Faso and Mali. The partnership is part of the Partners for Municipal Innovation program managed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with funding from Global Affairs Canada. Vaudreuil-Soulanges will focus on the municipalities of BoboDioulasso and Banfora in Burkina Faso and Rigaud’s ties are with the Sikasso region of Mali. Dignitaries from Burkina Faso and Mali along with elected officials and director generals from the participating Quebec municipalities gathered at the Ronald-Provost Hall in St-Faustin-Lac-Carré, part of the MRC des Laurentides, last Friday. The Laurentides, Argenteuil and Marguerite-D’Youville counties are also participating in the program. “We are delighted to have been invited by the MRC of Vaudreuil Soulanges to participate in this magnificent project that has ensured (the creation) of an economic corridor between our companies in Rigaud and (those in) Mali,” Rigaud Mayor Hans Gruenwald Jr. said. “The week spent together has created ties between our communities and ideas for projects are already bubbling.” While in Quebec, the West African delegation visited businesses and outreach organizations and met with members of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The goal is to nurture sustainable local economic development in the communities with a special focus on projects that will include the participation of women and young people. The $19.8-million, five-year partnership program also operates in Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Vietnam. Global Affairs Canada will fund the initiative with the help of a $5.2-million commitment from Canadian municipalities. “Vaudreuil-Soulanges has a lot in common with Burkina Faso and I think that our exchange will bear fruit on both sides of the Atlantic,” Vaudreuil-Soulanges prefect Patrick Bousez said. “We have learned a lot from our African counterparts, who place a special emphasis on the importance of human relationships and the family.”