by Mayor Shaun McLaughlin (written on Thursday March 23)
Today, it was my thrill and privilege to host Her Honour, the Honourable Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell. Her Honour is the fourth diplomat to visit Mississippi Mills in the last two years.
Her Honour makes a practice of visiting communities throughout the province to gather stories and share stories. One story she shared went like this:
“I was asked in one town what it would take to entice me to visit early on a Saturday morning. I answered: a coffee shop, a bakery, a bookstore, and an art gallery.”
As Her Honour listed those attractions, I held up a finger and whispered “got that, got that, got that, and got that.”
Before leaving, Her Honour took a short walk down Mill Street.
Previous visitors include the Governor General of Canada, the US Ambassador and the Swedish Ambassador. Each visited because they heard about one or more of our unique attractions: the link to James Naismith, our cultural heritage, and quality of life. (Her Honour made a special visit to Hummingbird Chocolate.)
The world sees our town very differently than we sometimes see it. We need to raise our gaze above negative local dustups and recognize the blessings that are so apparent to outsiders.
Her Honour collected 150 stories from Ontarians. You can read them at http://arts.lgontario.ca/canada150/
