The Canadian Press is reporting that the spouses of the G8 leaders won’t be going to Deerhurst resort in Muskoka during the G8 summit. The wives (and husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, if he comes) will stay in Toronto on Friday June 25, where they will be introduced to the “arts and culture of the region, followed by a lunch highlighting ‘the flavours of Muskoka.’” "The G8 is primarily a business meeting," spokeswoman Beatrice Fenelon told CP via e-mail. "Unique logistics and organizational challenges made it impractical to include a separate spousal program in the region." On Saturday, the couples will be reunited at a welcoming reception, but spouses won’t attend the evening’s dinner, either. They’ll be having their own dinner, the location of which remains unknown.
On Sunday, Laureen Harper plans to introduce the spouses to prominent women from across Canada, Ms. Fenelon said. She is also expected to give each spouse a gift which will represent the "rich and vibrant artistic community in Canada."
So where will the wives (and husband) be dining? The AGO? The ROM?
At the G20 summit in Pittsburgh last September, Barack and and Michelle Obama hosted a reception at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Afterward, Mrs. Obama hosted a private dinner for spouses at Rosemont Farm, owned by well known Pittsburgh philanthropist (and wife of John Kerry) Teresa Heinz. The menu was created by Pittsburgh caterer Bob Sendall, who also made the food for Mrs. Obama's luncheon at the Andy Warhol Museum the next day.
