Manitoba’s representative of the Crown came north last week. Manitoba Lieutenant Governor Anita Neville took a special trip to the area to take in Culture Days events, making her first venture into the area since taking over the spot in 2022.
Neville’s time in Flin Flon included several Culture Days events, along with visits to sites like the Lord’s Bounty Food Bank and a banquet at the former Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting staff house catered by Pickled Loon Kitchen.
She said her coming north is part of a desire to represent more of Manitoba than just Winnipeg and that the invitation to come north for the event was the perfect opportunity.
“I am Lieutenant Governor for the province of Manitoba. I’m quite committed at moving beyond the perimeter highway,” she said.
“I met Crystal Kolt at another event and she invited me to come here - she was telling me about Culture Days here and she issued me a formal invitation to my office. I thought, ‘Right on - this is what I want to do. I want to get up north, I want to go beyond the perimeter.’ The opportunity was there, the commitment by the community was there - and here I am.”
The former four-term Member of Parliament for Winnipeg was appointed to her current post in 2022 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and current Governor General Mary Simon. As the Lieutenant Governor, Neville serves as the monarchy’s official representative in the province.
Neville’s predecessor, Janice Filmon, came north for Culture Days events back in 2019, joining then-Governor General Julie Payette for a two-day sojourn through the festivities.
Neville said she was inspired by the example of the volunteers she met in Flin Flon, particularly the large number of people who volunteer with multiple causes. Events like Culture Days and community groups like the food bank or Flin Flon Arts Council don’t operate without the help of volunteers and Neville said Flin Flon’s group does well with the limited resources they have, adding she would hope more support could come in to help out.
“The most important thing that I’ve seen and done has been meeting the people of Flin Flon, which has been wonderful - the commitment to people, the people who volunteer not for one, but for so many different causes,” she said.
“My main takeaway is the commitment of people to the community, the strong artistic base of the community and the different manifestations of the arts that are present in this community. The sense of volunteerism that people have, volunteering in one arena and then turning up in another arena - it’s the commitment of the people. They need more support to continue developing and maintaining some of the projects that are currently in place.”
When asked what she felt about her new surroundings, Neville was quick to give praise to the town.
“I hope I’ll be back,” she said.
