On the road again

In recent weeks I have been to two cities in Europe with which we share some special bonds. And with which we want to further our relationship.

Along with Nancy Philips of the Greater Halifax Partnership I attended meetings of the World Energy Cities Partnership in Stavanger, Norway. We have been a member of this organization for over a decade, but it is a particularly important relationship for Halifax as we see significant exploration off our coast by both BP and Shell. The partnership is comprised of major energy hub cities in the world, from large cities like Rio and Houston to smaller cities like Aberdeen and Stavanger which are flourishing with the benefits of offshore activity along with newer cities like Esbjerg, Denmark, a leader in renewable energy.

Many cities are anxious to join the Partnership and see the benefits of membership in this group which is working collaboratively to meet the energy needs of the world. Halifax is fortunate to be a member. At this year’s meeting we officially welcomed Kuala Lumpur and opened the gates for Cape Town.

In Stavanger we had briefings from key industry leaders like Statoil and Aker Solutions and heard from energy experts from Northern Europe and around the world. We received privileged presentations on the world energy outlook, expectations for offshore exploration and onshore shale gas, the future of coal and renewables and expectations for energy demand over the next 20 years. We also visited a number of interesting energy companies including a boat trip to the Lysebotn hydro plant in a fjord.

Stavanger is a lovely, progressive, wealthy community and a great partner city for Halifax.

In the days immediately following our meetings, Stavanger was playing host to Offshore Northern Seas conference when some 60,000 delegates would flood into this city of 135,000. The day we left Stavanger the rate for our Radisson hotel rose from about 250 per night to over 700 per night. Energy brings much money in many ways to a city!

After Norway we spent a couple of days in Kiel, Germany. This meeting was originated by work that has been done between Dalhousie University and the university in Kiel, particularly the world renowned Geomar Marine institute. In working together the two institutions found incredible similarities between our two cities. Like Halifax, Kiel is a port city with shipbuilding, marine science expertise, cruise industry as the gateway to the Baltic Sea, an active Port. It also is the home of a flotilla of the German navy.

We visited with all of these organizations and individuals including the Mayor and Council president. We discussed what might come out of a more official relationship between our two cities and we have committed to exploring the possibilities.

Another very interesting connection is our sailing communities. While we were in Kiel one of the local sailors won a medal at the World disabled sailing championships in Halifax at our famed Royal NS Yacht Squadron. In fact Kiel hosts the world’ss largest sailing event ... Kiel week in June when they host a staggering three million visitors.

Relationships are important to cities. We learn, we prosper, we progress when we learn from each other. Stavanger and Kiel are world class cities with much to offer Halifax and our citizens.