A trip to Japan by Richmond Couns. Bill McNulty and Harold Steves has been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 health crisis.
The councillors were scheduled to travel in April in-person to invite the Kaiwo Maru tall ship, currently a marine institution, to Richmond’s 2023 Maritime Festival to celebrate the city's 50th anniversary of its sister-city relationship with Wakayama.
The trip was budgeted at $40,000.
McNulty said the Japan trip was cancelled fairly early in the crisis and it is far from his mind, although, depending on how the COVID-19 situation plays out, it might be rescheduled to November or next year.
“It’s not foremost in our minds – foremost in my mind is community safety,” he said.
McNulty added that the trip, although opposed by some, would be important because everything in Japan is done based on relationships.
The two councillors would have brought along a plan for the event with details like tide schedules and fuel availability.
“You don’t get anything from the Japanese unless you have that level of detail,” he said.
