Passing of James Bartleman, the former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
August 18, 2023I was saddened to learn of the passing of James Bartleman, the former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, at the age of 83. I had a personal connection to James, who was the former owner of the house in Perth which became my family’s home in 2014. James was an accomplished diplomat, a distinguished public servant, and perhaps most importantly, an intelligent spokesman on Indigenous issues. (He was a member of the Chippewas of Mnjikaning First Nation.)
James was a collector of First Nations art; when my wife and I first visited what was then his house, we were struck by the remarkable display of paintings along one of the walls; we resolved to respect the tradition that he had started, and to always display Indigenous art in the same spot.
More importantly, James Bartleman was also a prolific author. We asked him to leave behind a signed copy of each of his books at the house, with the intention that his presence will still be in the house, even after we too are gone; upon learning of his passing we resolved to read one of them together this month, in the car, as we and the kids go on our annual road-trip camping vacation. There are many titles to choose from, but I think we should probably start with As Long as the River Flows, which was a finalist for the very first Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Literature, back in 2013.
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