Mayor Debra Button has announced that Weyburn has been selected as one of the partner municipalities of the Municipal Local Economic Development (MLED) project in Ukraine.
The program, an initiative of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), pairs Canadian cities with 12 municipalities in the Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk districts of Ukraine.
Since Ukraine gained independence in 1991, cities in the eastern European country have struggled to develop the planning, training and financial resources needed to build strong free market economic development plans. Canadian municipalities are sharing their "know-how" with their Ukrainian counterparts, showing them how they can plan better, improve the local economic climate and build partnerships to generate new sources of revenue.
"It is always rewarding to share what you know with people who are hungry to learn. The people of Ukraine are at an exciting stage building a better life. I'm proud that Weyburn can help them reach that goal," said Button.
Brock Carlton, CEO of the FCM, welcomed Weyburn's participation.
"We are delighted Weyburn has been selected and look forward to working with you and representatives from other Canadian partner municipalities," said Carlton.
Button said the partnership will pay long-term benefits to Weyburn.
"You cannot put a dollar value on international alliances. As Ukraine prospers, the friendships we have built will spell opportunity for Weyburn."
