Saugeen Shores Mayor Visits Belgium Sister City Zonnebeke

Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau visited Zonnebeke, Belgium, this week honouring the Canadians who served and sacrificed during the First World War and strengthening a new relationship built on that shared history.

Charbonneau joined officials from the Municipality of Zonnebeke, home to the historic Passchendaele battlefield, to acknowledge the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a Sister City relationship between the two communities.

“To be here in Zonnebeke on Remembrance Day, surrounded by places where Canadians served and sacrificed more than a century ago, is incredibly meaningful,” said Mayor Charbonneau. “Our Sister City relationship gives us an opportunity not only to remember and honour that history, but to build on it. By connecting our communities, we can learn from one another and create new opportunities for future generations.”

Saugeen Shores Council authorized the MOU in February, with Zonnebeke later ratifying it.

The two mayors met on November 9 at Villa Zonnedaele to recognize this historic partnership and discuss priorities and opportunities.

The partnership will foster connections through schools, museums, veterans’ organizations, heritage groups and youth.

The sister city agreement is something Southampton Legion Past President John Willetts championed after visiting Zonnebeke in recent years.

Saugeen Shores & Zonnebeke Belgium Finalize Sister City Agreement

The partnership also looks to create opportunities for the two municipalities to learn from one another, share ideas, and explore initiatives that could benefit both communities.

The Town says, the visit has also provided an opportunity to honour the individual Canadians behind that history. On November 10, Charbonneau participated in a ceremony at the Crest Farm Canadian Memorial, where he laid a wreath on behalf of the Town and shared the story of George Henry Partridge, a Bruce County soldier who was killed during the Battle of Passchendaele.

“His story provides a deeply local connection to the battlefields surrounding Zonnebeke, reminding us that the Canadians who fought at Passchendaele came from communities like those across Bruce County,” says Charbonneau.

The Passchendaele Canadian Memorial at Crest Farm marks the site where Canadian soldiers encountered some of the fiercest resistance of the battle. The 4th Canadian Division captured Crest Farm on October 30, 1917. Today, the memorial is one of eight First World War battle sites awarded to Canada by Belgium and France in recognition of Canada’s sacrifice and contribution to their liberation.

During his time in Belgium, Charbonneau has also participated in the Last Post Ceremony in Ypres, taken part in a Canadian-focused battlefield tour and visited the Passchendaele Museum.

On Remembrance Day, November 11, he is scheduled to participate in ceremonies at Tyne Cot, laying wreaths on behalf of the Town of Saugeen Shores and the Royal Canadian Legion.

The Town notes, Charbonneau’s travel to Belgium was self-funded, with no travel costs paid by the Town of Saugeen Shores.

Saugeen Shores Mayor Visits Belgium Sister City Zonnebeke

Saugeen Shores & Zonnebeke Belgium Finalize Sister City Agreement

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