The former mayor has been contacted by officials in Liyang City, who are providing some protective equipment to the municipality.
Liyang City is sending 10,000 protective masks to Chatham-Kent.
Hope says he and officials in Liyang have had a great relationship over the years.
“They reached out directly to me to see how they could help,” says Hope. “When they heard COVID-19 was coming into Canada, they reached out again. They think it’s important to help the citizens of Chatham-Kent.”
Hope says he recognizes he faced a lot of criticism for his international relationships over his 12-year term as Mayor.
“But these relationships are built by friendships and it’s about respecting one another’s communities. (Sending the masks) is just a loud message to me and it should be to the broader community,” added Hope. “The city of Liyang cares about what happens to people. During my term, we were not only building relationships with mayors in Ontario and across Canada but also internationally. Whether it be the U.S. or China or any other country. It’s about building relationships because you need each other’s support when such an issue like this occurs.”
The masks being sent from China have been approved by C-K’s Medical Officer of Health. The masks are suitable for the community but are not meant for hospital or nursing staff.
The equipment is already on the way and is expected to arrive soon.
Liyang City is three hours west of Shanghai, with a population of nearly one million.
