Lt.-Gov. to tour district tomorrow

Guess who’s coming to dinner?
New Ontario Lt.-Gov. James Bartleman is slated to arrive here Wednesday morning for a day-long tour of Fort Frances and Rainy River District.
“It’s excellent he’s coming to see the area so that when we have a problem, he will know about Fort Frances,” Mayor Glenn Witherspoon said Tuesday.
Bartleman first will attend a reception at the Seven Generations Educational Institute here Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
He then will travel to the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre (Manitou Mounds) to meet members of the Rainy River First Nations at a public reception at 11:30 p.m. and tour the mounds.
Next, Bartleman will tour the refurbished #4008 steam engine in Rainy River and attend a tea from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the town hall, before he returns to Fort Frances for a private dinner at La Place Rendez-Vous at 6:30 p.m.
Mayor Witherspoon said a cross-section of the community has been invited to the dinner, including members of council, volunteers, and youth, who are of special interest to the Lt.-Gov.
After the dinner, the general public is invited to stop by the Rendez-Vous to meet Bartleman.
“We’ve had all the Lt.-Governors come by. This is the fourth one I have had the opportunity to host,” Mayor Witherspoon noted.
This is Bartleman’s first official visit to the area since being named Ontario’s 27th Lt.-Gov. in March. He is being accompanied by his son, Alain.
According to his office, Bartleman is particularly interested in meeting and showing support for First Nations communities throughout the area, especially aboriginal youth.
Bartleman himself is a member of the Mnjikaning First Nation.
On this week-long tour to Northwestern Ontario, the Lt.-Gov. also stopped in Pickle Lake and Kenora, and plans to be at Quetico Provincial Park on Thursday and Manitoulin Island on Friday.