Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor is giving some praise to Thunder Bay as she chose to attend the New Year’s Levee in the city.
Elizabeth Dowdeswell says she enjoyed what she was able to see ahead of the Levee at the McKellar Armoury. That included what residents were most proud of and wanted to show off during her visit.
“I think particularly of the library, for example, and the work that’s being done in partnership with economic development training opportunities for Indigenous people. Just the way in which a library in a community becomes a centre of activity, a hub.”
Dowdeswell also spent time in Fort William First Nation, and admired Thunder Bay’s public art and the redevelopment of the waterfront. She also singled out the water treatment plant where she met with workers.
“What is really nice to see the pride that people take in what they do.”
She adds the city’s 50th anniversary can represent unity during what she feels is a difficult time.
“Something that’s very precious to us, our democracy, is under threat in many places. And you can tell that when you see cracks in the institutions that support it– the judiciary, civil societies, our institutions of governance.”
