London ,Ontario to be twinned with Galle....
From: Joe & Penny Simpson
To: Alex P Cooray; Prof. Michael Roberts; Victor Melder
Subject: from http://66.207.199.170/LONDONOW/displaydocument.cfm?cabinetID=205&libraryID=32&documentID=618
Support grows for link to tsunami-hit area and London, Squamish, other Canadian cities
Article By: Julie Carl, London Now.ca
A group of Londoners seeking to twin with a tsunami-hit Sri Lankan city have found support in at least two large London institutions.
Meanwhile, across the country, the tiny district of Squamish, British Columbia is roaring ahead with a project to adopt a devastated village and a challenge to other Canadian municipalities to do the same.
Shanthi Radcliffe, who with her husband David is spearheading efforts to twin London with Galle, Sri Lanka, said the group has the cityÂs official blessing. The mayor is expected to announce that blessing at a press conference at city hall tomorrow, Fri. Jan. 7, 2004. King College has donated office space, computers and a website, Shanthi said. Information on how Londoners can get involved is coming.
And as his wife was meeting with city officials Jan. 5, 2004, David Radcliffe, former dean of the faculty of education at the University of Western Ontario, was meeting with UWO officials and hearing equally good news.
UWO has created the Working Group for Asian Disaster Relief  a name that may change  to work with the cityÂs hospitals and the Radcliffes group, said Ted Hewitt, UWOÂs acting vice-president of research. UWOÂs group, which includes members of its medical, dental, engineering and nursing faculties, has met once, he said.
ÂNow we will start looking at areas of expertise. Shanthi and her group will be our connection to what the people need, Hewitt said.
ThatÂs the trick for success; you have to check your ego at the door and listen to what the people need, said Squamish Coun. Jeff Dawson whoÂs heading the Heart of Squamish project. He expected 30 to turn out to a meeting last night, but instead had more than 200 of the districtÂs 17,000 people show up. They were in the headlines last year when their district suffered serious flooding and aid and support came from all over the world.
But even more important than the massive turnout of Squamish residents for Dawson are the calls heÂs had from across Canada  from media and from municipalities  who want to know more.
ÂWeÂre challenging communities to get on board, Dawson said. ÂNo one is too small. If you canÂt adopt a village, you can adopt a street, you can adopt a family. A hockey team can adopt a soccer team somewhere.Â
DawsonÂs next step will be to compile a list of talents, resources and equipment from the more than 200 forms filled out at last nightÂs meeting, then seek an aid agency for guidance on where and how to help.
ThatÂs a point that canÂt be stressed enough, said Brock Carlton, director of the International Centre for Municipal Development. His agency, which is part of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, has spent 18 years co-ordinating international development projects between Canadian municipalities and their counterparts in 20 countries.
ÂThereÂs an enormous expression of interest, Carlton said. ÂWe are playing the co-ordinator role of the Canadian municipal response to the tsunami. The FCM will also work with the Canadian International Development Agency.
Most interest has come from the western provinces, Carlton said. He suspects thatÂs a combination of a larger Asian immigrant population and the memory for many of the tsunami that hit CanadaÂs west coast in 1961.
posted by Alex at 11:48 AM
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