I am pleased to share that the grounds of Government House have returned to regular hours. Thank you for your patience during our closure and subsequent limited hours due to COVID-19; you can now visit the Estate of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor every day of the week from dawn until dusk. And Tuesday through Friday, Rudi’s Tea Room is open for business, serving take away lunches, refreshments and treats. You can also find house-made gifts, like Government House honey.

At the end of last year, I shared information on significant refurbishments taking place at Government House during 2020. While renovations were initially meant to begin in January 2020, there has been a delay in the start date for this work. At this time, work is slated to begin on Government House this summer, with an estimated completion date sometime in fall 2021.

As before, the grounds of Government House will remain open to the public during the usual hours: daily from dawn to dusk, unless affected otherwise by COVID-19. Some parking in close proximity to the House may be affected, but the large lower lot has plenty of space and will remain available. Outlying buildings, such as our seasonal Tea Room, will not be impacted.

I want to share an update on our popular summer concert series, Music on the Lawn. Usually thousands of people join us over three nights in July for live music and dancing. This year, however, due to COVID-19, and in compliance with the Order of the Provincial Health Officer on Mass Gatherings, which limits all public gatherings larger than 50 people , there will be no Music on the Lawn concerts this year. We will greatly miss hosting our friends and neighbours for this wonderful community event, and hope it can be revived in 2021.