Well, now a part of that world is visiting to check out all the hype.

Mayor Gjon Dedaj of the Albanian city of Rreshen recently visited Oakville where he and members of his council received a crash course on the inner workings of a Canadian municipality.

"I've received lots of information," said Dedaj, through an interpreter.

"There are many elements here that are more advanced than in our country, but we are making progress and through these kinds of relationships we hope to make more progress."

Dedaj's decision to come to Oakville stems from the fact that Oakville resident Tonin Ndoja, who is originally from Rreshen, was able to make arrangements for Dedaj and his delegation to meet with Mayor Rob Burton and council.

A tour of the town was also arranged.

"We gave them a tour of Town Hall and Central Operations. We showed them how we clear snow in this country," said Ward 1 Councillor Alan Johnston.

"We basically showed what we do for the community. How the Town is responsible for parks and recreation and snow removal and stuff like that. They were just interested in how we did things here at the local level."

Any advancements Rreshen may lack when compared to Oakville are no doubt owing to Albania's bleak past.

A communist country for more than 40 years, Albania eventually became a xenophobic Stalinist state that shunned even Russia and China.

After emerging from the Cold War, Albania held its first democratic elections in 1991 and since then has functioned as a multi-party democracy.

Despite this escape from isolationism, the country still faces problems in the form of high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure and powerful organized crime networks, but even here there is hope on the horizon.

Dedaj noted that a highway is being built that will run from the Adriatic port of Durres, past Rreshen and into Kosovo.

The highway's close proximity is expected to promote economic develop in Rreshen, as well as stimulate growth.

Dedaj welcomes this, but also knows there will be challenges.

"There are about 16,000 people in Rreshen, the city is not yet full," he said.

"More will come because of the highway that will pass our city and for that we need greater transit and utility services."

Having received an idea on how a town the size of Oakville functions, Dedaj and his delegation are returning to Albania and counting the experience in Canada a successful one with Dedaj noting that it 'opened his mind.'