Official visit of Consul General Saito to Québec City (September 6 to 10, 2022)
The 16th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC)
From September 6 to 8, Consul General SAITO attended as an observer the 16th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), held in Québec City, and engaged in discussion OWHC Secretary General Mikhael De Thyse and the representatives of the various participating World Heritage Cities. Numerous activities introducing facets of Québec’s culture – circus, First Nations, and more – were also offered to participants. The congress was thus a good opportunity to exchange on the participating cities’ respective challenges and their potential solutions while also experiencing the host city of Québec’s diverse culture.
Meeting with the Honorable J. Michel Doyon, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
On Wednesday, September 7, Consul General SAITO, on an official visit to Québec City, conversed with the Honorable J. Michel Doyon, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. It was their first meeting since December of last year, and this time again the Lieutenant Governor’s deep insight left a strong impression.
Meeting with Marie-Josée Audet, MRIF Interim Assistant Deputy Minister in charge of Europe, Indo-Pacific Relations and Interdepartmental and Institutional Affairs
On Thursday, September 8, Consul General SAITO, continuing his official visit in Québec City, had the opportunity to exchange on various topics related to Japan-Quebec relations with Ms. Marie-Josée Audet, Interim Assistant Deputy Minister in charge of Europe, Indo-Pacific Relations and Interdepartmental and Institutional Affairs at the Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie, and other Quebec high officials.
Visit to the Société du Plan Nord, and more
During his official visit to Québec City from September 6 to 10, Consul General SAITO made multiple stops, including at the Société du Plan Nord, the coordinating body for the deployment of the Northern Action Plan towards the sustainable development of Quebec territory north of the 49th parallel, and at the Parliament building, home to the Assemblée nationale du Québec and current host to a Kyoto photo exhibition. Additionally, he visited Onhwa’ Lumina’s luminous installations by Moment Factory, the company in charge of light effects during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony.
Enterprise visits
From September 6 to 10, Consul General SAITO, then on an official trip to Québec City, visited the offices and installations of the Québec branch of True World Foods, a company handling food products and ingredients from Japan, and Evident, a former subsidiary of Olympus specializing in industrial solution equipment here in Quebec. From the various discussions had and the enthusiastic company introductions, the teams from both companies showed passion for their work.