Trudeaumania in Bridgetown
Jubilant at Jubilee Park: prime minister wows young and old alike in less than an hour
BRIDGETOWN – From the RCMP at the entrance, to the police dog on the grounds, and the police boat in the Annapolis River, security was tight at Jubilee Park in Bridgetown August 16.
There were guys with earpieces and sunglasses.
But the mood was just like the park – jubilant.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in town. And Trudeaumania was a thing. In fact, it was palpable. The crowd of hundreds cheered for Canada’s 23 prime minister and when a journalist suggest the new Liberal government might be giving Atlantic Canadians the ‘shaft,’ the crowd booed.
Trudeau was in Bridgetown Tuesday, Aug. 16 to announce a federal/provincial infrastructure funding deal that will see more than $238 million being invested in wastewater and public transit projects across the province.
Also on hand were Annapolis County Warden Reg Ritchie, West Nova MP Colin Fraser, and Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil who all spoke and welcomed Trudeau. Numerous provincial MLAs were also on hand, including Health Minister Leo Glavine, Mark Fury, Gordon Wilson, and others. Annapolis County councillors also took part, including Timothy Habiniski, Paul McDonald, and Alex Morrison, plus Annapolis Royal Mayor Michael Tompkins was there as well – the announcement was about infrastructure funding for municipalities.
Hundreds of people packed the park long before the 10 a. m. announcement, and waited patiently for Trudeau to arrive. Cellphones and cameras were the order of the day and Trudeau walked the crowd and posed for numerous pictures after the serious stuff was dealt with. And he signed autographs.
And while his visit was less than an hour, it will be an event of a lifetime for some who came from all over the region, some calling it a chance of a lifetime. And they have those selfies to prove they were there on that day – the day Bridgetown was the centre of the universe.
Annapolis Royal Nursing Home brought nine of their residents to see the prime minister, the oldest being 101. But he wanted to see Trudeau.
The prime minister picked up at least two babies, and took the proffered lemonade from Bliss, Bleu, and Soul Rae. He posed with boys wearing baseball caps, teen girls, and myriad others as he made his way back through the park to his limousine and was whisked away in his motorcade that took him to 14 Wing Greenwood and on to New Glasgow for a barbecue.