Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his first visit to Newmarket today in nearly a year as part of a tour through the province.
Trudeau stopped by The Buttery Restaurant for lunch July 6, along with Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen and other York Region MPs. The stop was not on the prime minister's daily itinerary and was between formally publicized visits to Vaughan and Simcoe County.
The prime minister complimented the MPs touring him, which also included Markham-Stouffville MP Helena Jaczek, Vaughan-Woodbridge MP Francesco Sorbara and Markham-Unionville MP Paul Chiang.
“We’ve got a great team here in York Region — and great food, too,” Trudeau said on his social media channels. “Can’t wait to come back to The Buttery Restaurant!”
It is the first publicized visit since last September when he visited twice during the federal election campaign. The stop today came with no announcements or media availability.
Restaurant owner Demetre Tyrovolas said preparing for the visit was stressful after they got the call the previous night. But he said it went smoothly.
“The prime minister had a good time with us,” Tyrovolas said. “He visited other guests that were in the restaurant at the time … He was very casual, very good.”
The visit came with plenty of photo-ops for customers and staff, Tyrovolas said, but also security from the RCMP. Still, Tyrovolas said he was able to keep his doors open to other guests.
“He mingled with customers as well and talked with them, so it was good,” he said.
It is the second straight week for high-profile politicians to come to town. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was at Exco Engineering June 30 for a formal visit.
Today's stop came in the middle of several formal visits for Trudeau. He met with Toronto Mayor John Tory July 5. On July 6, his itinerary included a children’s day camp in Vaughan, a farm in Simcoe County and a Canadian Armed Forces barbecue in North Bay.
Though they have not had Trudeau visit the restaurant before, Tyrovolas said plenty of high-profile individuals have visited over their 33 years in business.
“We’re down-to-earth people, a family-run operation, so we just do our thing the best way we can.”
