Ternopil and the Canadian city of Mississauga have officially become twin cities. The partnership agreement was signed by Serhii Nadal, Mayor of Ternopil, and Carolyn Parrish, Mayor of Mississauga.

The partnership provides for cooperation in education, culture, sport, youth programmes, the economy, and the development of entrepreneurship. It also focuses on the implementation of joint projects, the exchange of expertise, and the development of international cooperation between communities.

According to Serhii Nadal, the Ukrainian community in Canada and representatives of the Ukrainian diplomatic community played an important role in establishing this partnership. In particular, he thanked Carolyn Parrish, Mayor of Mississauga, members of the City Council, Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto, Volodymyr Palahniuk, Nataliia Halych, President of the Mississauga Ukrainian Community, Taras Bahrii, President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Ontario, and the Ukrainian community of the city for their support of Ukraine and the development of ties between the communities.

Upon signing the agreement, Carolyn Parrish announced that Ternopil had become Mississauga’s second sister city in the last 50 years. She said the new partnership symbolised support for Ukraine during the war and was the result of strong ties forged by the Ukrainian-Canadian community.

Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto, stressed that until now, Mississauga had only one international partner – the city of Kariya (Japan), with which cooperation has been ongoing since 1981. The twinning with Ternopil, he said, was a demonstration of solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people.

The new partnership is expected to facilitate the implementation of international initiatives and the development of cooperation between communities in different areas.

The Decentralisation portal contains a separate section entitled ‘Partnership for Recovery and Development’, which contains news, best practices, and stories of cooperation between Ukrainian communities and international partners.