From city hall to China: Mayor Knack opens 2026 with trade trip to Harbin

Mayor Andrew Knack is kicking off 2026 half a world away, trading Edmonton’s winter chill for China’s ice capital as he heads to Harbin on a trade mission with the Alberta capital’s sister city.

Invited by Mayor Wang Hesheng to the 42nd Harbin Ice and Snow Festival marking the 40th anniversary of the sister-city partnership, Knack said he hopes to advance several economic goals during the three-day trip.

“This is a big opportunity for winter tourism,” he said. “We’re looking to see how we can further strengthen our relationship, particularly in areas like economic development and cultural co-operation.

“We’re in a globally competitive world and it involves an all-hands on deck approach. If we sit back waiting for everyone to come to us, they’re not going to. What better place to start this work than with our sister city?”

Over three days, delegates will attend the festival’s opening ceremonies, meet with tourism agencies, take part in the Ice and Snow Winter Expo and the Global Mayors’ Dialogue, and visit local businesses to promote Edmonton’s potential.

Joining him will be a lone staffer as well as two representatives of Explore Edmonton to promote Edmonton to fellow winter cities. This is the first time an Edmonton mayor has visited Harbin since former mayor Don Iveson made the trek in 2015 for the 30th anniversary.

As part of the invite, the city of Harbin is covering their guests’ meals, accommodations and local transportation — the only cost to Edmonton are the flights, which Knack said amounts to $4,818.94 coming out of surplus from the 2025 budget for office of the mayor.

“I think there’s a great opportunity for a return visit from folks from Harbin in the future, especially as we get Harbin Gate completed,” he said. “When this sister-city relationship started 40 years ago, it was a lot more active and it’s sort of fell by the wayside over the years. Realistically, these need to be more than just a signed piece of paper. We should be sharing knowledge with each other and learning from one another. They have a very similar climate to us in terms of very cold temperatures — what can we learn from them and what can they learn from us?

“Let’s take these sister-city relationships and make them mean something significant.”

Explore Edmonton president Traci Bednard told Postmedia the agency has earmarked $20,000 for the trip but expects the total cost to be considerably less. The funds are being drawn from the Explore Edmonton’s 2026 budget, which includes the $11 million in stable funding approved by council in December.

“Tourism is economic development,” she said. “In 2024, Edmonton welcomed seven million visits, generating $2.5 billion in visitor spending for the Edmonton region.

“Explore Edmonton is working with Destination Canada and Northwest Territories Tourism to develop the Northern Sky Corridor, responding to growing international demand for self-drive and road-trip travel. Edmonton is the starting point of this nationally recognized route, linking urban experiences with iconic northern landscapes.”

She added delegates will also be touting Edmonton’s environmental sustainability chops, noting research shows many younger Chinese tourists are increasingly drawn to regenerative tourism destinations.

Chinatown Transformation Collaborative co-founder Sandy Pon said she is excited the mayor is making the trip and added she hopes it would augment the city’s efforts to rebuild Harbin Gate.

She noted the city has many long-standing gates which the delegation could use for comparison to the new gate.

“The mayor going to Harbin is good, because now he gets to see the real McCoy,” she said. “Quite a number of Canadians that live in Edmonton originated from Harbin. So it’s quite nice to see the mayor and delegation visiting.”

Edmonton has five sister cities including Harbin. The others are Hull, Que., Nashville, Tenn., Wonju in South Korea and Chongqing in midland China.

Known as the “Ice City,” Harbin is China’s 10th most populated urban centre with more than 10 million people as of 2020. It is located in the northeastern corner of the country, and is a UNESCO City of Music — known for hosting the first music school in modern China. While the area has been settled since at least 1115, the city was officially incorporated in 1898 during a phase of Russian expansion into China and quickly grew into a railway boom town. It’s architecture and cuisine are known for being a mix of Russian and Chinese influences. It is also home to the largest Siberian Tiger preserve in the world.

Edmonton and Harbin have been sister cities since 1985. The relationship is formally recognized by Āidéméngdùn Lu (Edmonton Road) in Harbin and Harbin Gate in Edmonton, which stood until construction of the Quarters LRT station in 2017 forced its removal. It is currently in storage.

LRT expansion branch manger Bruce Ferguson told Postmedia designs of the new gate are complete with input from both the city of Harbin and the Edmonton Chinese Benevolent Association. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and be finished in 2027. The city of Harbin will provide two art pieces and the city is seeking a local artist to design the remaining two art panels — applications are being accepted until Jan. 9.

Explore Edmonton has prepared a video for the trip to promote Edmonton to tourists in China. Check it out below:

ebowling@postmedia.com

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