City of North Vancouver staff will be recommending that Council approve $7,000 in funding for the North Shore Lions Youth Exchange Program, continuing a long-running partnership with Chiba, Japan.
According to the report, the recommendation follows a formal funding request submitted by George Sim, chair of the North Shore Lions Youth Exchange, in a letter dated Jan. 12, 2026. Staff are advising the Council to receive the correspondence and approve the funding as part of the City’s Sister City commitments.
The staff noted that youth exchanges have been a central part of the City of North Vancouver’s Sister City relationship with Chiba since 1970. The exchange program is administered locally by the North Shore Lions Youth Exchange, with the City providing financial support to help sustain the initiative.
The City’s Sister City relationship with Chiba has been maintained for more than five decades, with youth exchanges serving as one of its most visible and enduring components. The program provides a way for young people to participate in a cultural exchange between the two communities.
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The North Shore Lions Youth Exchange Program manages the local side of the exchange. The City has regularly issued grants to the Lions group to support these efforts, reflecting the program’s role in promoting friendship and cultural understanding between residents of North Vancouver and Chiba.
According to the report, the North Shore Lions Youth Exchange has received City funding in several recent years. The program was awarded $7,000 in 2025, while no grants were issued in 2024, 2023, or 2022. In 2021, the City provided $6,000, following similar $6,000 grants in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
Staff described the grant as a continuation of the City’s long-standing financial backing of the youth exchange when applications are made. Furthermore, the report noted that there are no inter-departmental implications tied to the grant.
