Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen travels to Ukraine Friday where he will be a guest speaker at several events including the International Mayors Congress in Kiev. Goertzen explains how he came to be involved the event.

"The federation of Canadian Municipalities asked me, as the Mayor of Steinbach, the fastest growing city in Manitoba and one of the fastest in western Canada, to go to Ukraine and talk to city mayors and administration there about how we have managed growth as a city, how we have looked at growth and welcomed it and changed how we do business to make sure that we are ready for growth."

Promotional material about the event indicates the Mayors Congress will become a platform for a dialogue and knowledge exchange between experts and activists of local development, aimed to spread best practices, innovative solutions and boost the competitiveness of cities. Global trends and innovation in local development, Smart City practices, urbanism and cooperation of local authorities with business and civil society will be key topics for discussion at the Congress. The program also includes an exhibition of opportunities for cities development, such as available grant and loan programs for municipalities, technical assistance projects from international financial organizations and public initiatives.

Goertzen adds he will also be speaking to municipal councillors in Zaporizhia and will take the opportunity to travel to a nearby village where his family has roots. He says he is looking forward to spending time in a country that was home to many of the forefathers of Steinbach residents.

Goertzen outlines some of the message he will share with his counterparts in Ukraine.

"Openness and transparency in government is second nature to us here in Canada, for the most part. We, in Steinbach, have been practising that for many, many years. In the former Soviet Union countries, such as Ukraine and others, it's a fairly new thing. For us, it's great to share our knowledge, to share our understanding of how this can create better government and, hopefully, it will help them become better leaders of their communities."

Goertzen will return to Steinbach on December 12th.