PM Mark Carney visit becomes ‘once-in-a-lifetime moment’ for Toronto cafe staff
Toronto residents who were grabbing coffee at a local café and bakery had to do a double-take this week when none other than Prime Minister Mark Carney popped in for a visit.
The visit, which had reportedly been planned in advance by Carney’s team, was a surprise for customers at Cafe Belém, a Portuguese café and bakery located at 546 College St. in Little Italy.
The Prime Minister was joined by Liberal candidate for University—Rosedale Danielle Martin, who is currently on the campaign trail ahead of the federal by-election on April 13.
“It was truly a change to our Monday routine. A wonderful change and it meant the world to all of us here at Cafe Belém,” the bakery’s staff shared on Instagram. Videos shared by both the café and Martin show Carney sipping an espresso while greeting staff and customers sitting outside.
The bakery’s post has drawn considerable attention online, leading staff to disable comments on the post.
Carney also made another surprise stop in Scarborough during his time in the city. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister stopped by Jatujak Thai Restaurant, located at 2386 Kingston Rd., alongside Liberal candidate for Scarborough Southwest, Doly Begum.
“We had the incredible honour of welcoming Prime Minister Mark Carney and Doly Begum to our restaurant today! A truly once-in-a-lifetime moment for all of us,” the restaurant’s staff shared on Instagram. “Thank you for visiting Jatujak Kingston Road — a moment we’ll never forget!”
Carney’s time in Toronto also included a joint announcement earlier this week with Premier Doug Ford, outlining a new partnership between the federal and provincial governments, which includes an investment of $8.8 billion over 10 years towards housing-enabling infrastructure projects.
blogTO has reached out to Cafe Belém and Jatujak Thai Restaurant for more information on Carney’s visit.