Close ties in business and education drive unique Canada-Hong Kong synergy CANADA HAS LONG been a fond friend of Hong Kong, and looms large in this city's consciousness and its various business arenas. 'At its heart, Canada and Hong Kong's people-to-people links still form the foundation of our enduring, multidimensional ties. With a population of 250,000, Canadians in Hong Kong form one of the largest foreign communities here,' said Gerry Campbell, Consul-General of Canada. On Canada's 139th birthday, the country's representative in Hong Kong is upbeat about bilateral trade. 'Canada enjoys an exceptional relationship with Hong Kong, characterised by annual trade in goods of approximately $14 billion last year, services of $12 billion in 2003, and two-way direct investment of almost $70 billion, of which $43 billion is investment in Canada.' Canadian companies have long enjoyed a powerful presence in Hong Kong; there are more than 150 of them here at present. Financial services and technology companies are well represented as Canadian business continues to flow to Hong Kong as a gateway to opportunities in the mainland. Canadian insurance firms and banks enjoy a high profile in the Pearl River Delta, with many of them eyeing enormous markets to the north. Given the close and increasing business ties between Canada and Hong Kong, it is not surprising that the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong is the largest Canadian business association outside of Canada. But it is not all about business. Education is a field that ties Hong Kong to Canada in a personal way for many people on both sides of the Pacific. According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce there are more than 100,000 Canadian university alumni and 23 active alumni associations in Hong Kong. And there are also two long-standing Canadian international schools. Educators at both schools share an abiding affection for the hard-working and grateful students and parents of Hong Kong. 'If I have one discipline problem a week, it has been a busy week,' said Dave McMaster, head of school at the Canadian International School (CDNIS) in Aberdeen. 'If I had one a day in Vancouver, it would have been a light day.' Jack Saddler, principal of Delia School of Canada's high school section in Taikoo Shing, agreed. He said Hong Kong children - and their parents - were 'a joy'. The two schools are inspected annually by the Ontario Ministry of Education. Delia has more than 1,000 students while CDNIS has 1,600, though Delia plans to double its size when it opens an additional Kowloon campus next year. The Kowloon campus has 100 students, but will reach its 115 capacity in September. More than 90 per cent of Delia and CDNIS graduates go to university. Delia traces its inspiration to the efforts of Sister Delia Tetreault (1865-1941), a Canadian teaching nun, but changed its name from Delia Memorial School when it moved its major operation from Tsim Sha Tsui to absorb St John's Co-Educational College in Taikoo Shing. Why is Canadian education such a draw? Reg Johnston, principal of Delia's elementary wing, said: 'Canada is well respected in Asia. The Ontario diploma is accepted everywhere. It is well known and respected in the business world, too.' Teaching staff at both schools are mostly Canada certified except for foreign language teachers. About 80 per cent of the students at CDNIS are Canadian passport holders while 7 per cent are Canadian students. What strikes a Canadian visitor is how much the school has the scent of Canada. 'It's from the canopy,' Mr McMaster said, pointing to the atrium of cedar beams which form a log cabin-like roof, visible from inside and out. Every floor of the school has its own log cabin roof section. 'I want you to see my favourite class,' said Mr McMaster, ushering us through a door. He was surprised to find two ranks of four-year-olds lined up in red tops and shorts, preparing for an outdoor adventure. In another part of the school, more serious Grade 8s gathered in an informal auditorium under a cedar-scented atrium, waiting to audition for a chance to give a speech in Putonghua. More serious still were the Grade 11s and 12s in the gym, converted into a vast examination hall, some studying for the International Baccalaureate that CDNIS also offers. Both schools run pre-grade to Grade 12 courses. While each seems as hi-tech as the other, the schools are divided technologically, with CDNIS being of the Apple Computer persuasion and Delia holding to the PC belief. If CDNIS smells like Canada, then Delia feels like a Canadian school, with its ambient informality in the halls and yards. Delia issues every high school student a laptop, having spent $3 million on 380 of the latest Dells, plus the full load of Microsoft programs. Delia principal Patrick Lee was born in Hong Kong but educated in Toronto. He runs the school through deputy principals in charge of the elementary and secondary programmes, as well as the small Kowloon campus. These days he is consumed with the coming expansion. 'There is a great demand for places in international schools and we want to be in a position to provide them,' he said. One eye-catching advance for Delia next year will be computer-generated 'writing boards'. These virtual writing boards are large computer screens on which teachers use electronic 'chalk' to write, circle and highlight, as well as bring up windows like any desktop or laptop. Jason Walter, in charge of Delia IT education, said: 'This puts the teacher in front of the class. Teachers do not have to fiddle with a keyboard as they did [before]. They are now back where they should be - in front of the class.' For CDNIS, the future lies in building a new arts complex for next year, with an emphasis on the performing arts. The new building will have its own grand entrance, attached to the main campus While Canadian educators at the two schools differ in style, they are united by a passion to serve what they view as the finest group of students and parents they have known. Additional reporting by Nick Walker
