Exchange students visit Lethbridge City Hall. (Photo: City of Lethbridge)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge/Saint-Laurent student exchange heralded as a success

Sep 1, 2024 | 6:00 AM

A group of teens from Lethbridge is back at home after spending a week on an exchange in Quebec.

The City of Lethbridge says the 57th Saint-Laurent exchange was memorable for people from both cities.

A delegation from Saint-Laurent, Quebec travelled to Lethbridge from July 10-17, 2024, while the group from Lethbridge headed out east from August 7-14.

During each of those weeks, group activities were organized to allow the visitors to get to know one another and discover their regions. Participants were matched based on common interests and visitors got to stay with their twins in their homes for seven nights.

The programs consisted of organized activities and free time.

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Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen was among the chaperones that went with students to Quebec.

“Despite some significant heavy rain in Montreal and some airport issues in Calgary, the group had an absolutely highly memorable trip,” says Hyggen. “While in Saint-Laurent, we visited their City Hall, the historic Maison Robert-Bélanger and attended the Saint-Laurent Festival.”

The Lethbridge crew also got a rare tour of the City of Montreal’s city hall chambers, and went to Old Montreal, a sightseeing tour on the St. Lawrence River, Science Centre, Biodome, Notre Dame Basilica, Illusion Museum, and tried the world-famous smoked meat sandwich at Reubens.

The City of Lethbridge says it is the official twin city of Saint-Laurent.

“The two communities entered a formal city-to-city twinning arrangement in 1967 as part of a Canadian Centennial project to promote cultural and social relationships between Eastern and Western Canada. Exchanges occur annually, alternately involving seniors and students,” reads a media release from the City of Lethbridge.

Municipalities cover the costs of the exchange, including plane tickets, transportation, touring activities and meals during group excursions.

Next year’s trip will be for seniors aged 55+. Applications will be accepted starting in January 2025.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now

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