Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, so this week, we would like to share Wetaskiwin’s heritage with Asia through its sister city in Ashoro, Japan. The district of Ashoro is located on the island of Hokkaido, home to nearly 12,000 people. In July of 1986, the first adult delegation from Ashoro arrived in Alberta and toured Wetaskiwin. The official signing of the Wetaskiwin Ashoro Friendship Affiliation Agreement happened on September 15, 1990. The agreement was signed by Wetaskiwin’s Mayor Dorothy French and Ashoro’s Mayor Akio Tomita at Parkdale Park. A ceremony and celebration were held in Ashoro Park to commemorate the twinning. Since the twinning, there have been many exchanges between the two municipalities, including students in 1992, to provide the youth of Wetaskiwin and Ashoro an opportunity to learn and experience the diverse culture of each respective nation. After some years of exchanges, a group of volunteer enthusiasts formed the Wetaskiwin Ashoro Friendship Society in January 1989. The large bell in the photo was donated by Diane Duce, who was on the Ashoro committee. The Rotary and Lions did a joint BBQ in Ashoro the first time they went in 1990, where this bell was exchanged.