Trudeau due in town today to see mayor, go on navy run

First visit by a PM to City Hall since 1965

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Greater Victoria today to meet with Victoria’s mayor and to run with navy members at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.

“We’ve been trying to get him here for some time,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, who will have a private meeting with the prime minister in the afternoon.

“It’s a big deal. This is the first time a prime minister has visited City Hall in Victoria since 1965,” she said, noting that Lester B. Pearson was prime minister and the mayor was Richard B. Wilson.

“I want to talk about innovation and social enterprise,” she said.

She plans to tell him about the new firehall that’s in the works, though “not to ask for money.”

But she will “make a strong case” for federal dollars to help with funding an upgrade for the Belleville ferry terminal.

Helps said she also plans to pitch Victoria’s plans for replacing Crystal Pool and the city’s affordable housing strategy.

“First and foremost, I will thank him for making his ministers available to us and [for] our good working relationship.”

The Prime Minister’s Office said Trudeau’s itinerary takes him and National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan to CFB Esquimalt about 9:30 a.m.

They will take part in a fivekilometre run and tour the base.

On Friday, Trudeau will travel to Vancouver, where he plans to talk about the opioid crisis.

He was last in Victoria on official business in September 2016 for the royal visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children.

None of the events are open to the public. Helps said anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of the prime minister might be able to do so as he arrives at Victoria City Hall about 1 p.m.

There will be some street closures downtown. Pandora Avenue from Douglas Street to Government Street will be blocked off from noon for a few hours.

Access to City Hall will be limited and the Centennial Square entrance will be closed to the public during the visit. The Pandora Avenue entrance will remain open.