James Bartleman

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Bartleman was sworn in as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on 7 March 2002. He was Ontario's 41st Vice-regal representative (27th since confederation, 41st since the establishment of the post in 1792).

As is traditional to a vice-regal appointment, Bartleman used his position to spearhead three initiatives that he personally identified with and considered important. During his mandate as Lieutenant Governor, he sought to: Reduce the stigma of mental illness; Fight racism and discrimination; Promote literacy among First Nations children.

To these ends, he initiated the Lieutenant Governor's Book Program in 2004. He has collected over 1.2 million books, donated from all corners of the province from both institutions and individuals, to stock school libraries in First Nations communities, particularly in Northern Ontario. In 2005, to further promote literacy and bridge building, Bartleman initiated a program to pair up Native and non-Native schools in Ontario and Nunavut, and set-up summer camps for literacy development in five northern First Nations communities.

Personal life and death Bartleman was related to honorary Chief of the Mnjikaning Indians John Bigwin, on his mother's side.

James Bartleman died at a hospice in London, Ontario on 14 August 2023, at the age of 83.

Unlike most vice-regal funerals, which are public, Bartleman's funeral was private but flags flew at half mast.

Writing Bartleman published several works of non-fiction, both before and during his viceregal term. These included the childhood memoirs Out of Muskoka (2002) and Raisin Wine: A Boyhood in a Different Muskoka (2007), and the professional career memoirs On Six Continents (2004) and Rollercoaster: My Hectic Years as Jean Chrétien's Diplomatic Advisor (2005).

Following the end of his viceregal term, Bartleman has also published a trilogy of social justice novels, As Long as the Rivers Flow (2011), The Redemption of Oscar Wolf (2013) and Exceptional Circumstances (2015). As Long as the Rivers Flow was a finalist for the 2013 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature.

Honours

Orders and awards Bartleman was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now the Indspire Award) for public service in 1999 On 1 June 2002, as Lieutenant-Governor, he received the Order of Ontario and became the Order's Chancellor On 1 June 2002, he was invested as a Knight of Justice in the Order of St. John In 2002, he received the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal On 25 January 2008, he received the Rotary Youth Impact Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Rotary Club of Toronto West In 2011, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his contributions to his country, notably as lieutenant governor, and as a champion of mental health, literacy and poverty reduction." In 2012, he received the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Dr. Hugh Lefave Award The Courage to Come Back Award The Deloitte Hero Inspiration Award The Jane Chamberlin Award for his efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness The Phi Delta Kappa Educator of the Year Award The DAREarts Cultural Award in recognition of the Lieutenant Governor's Book Program

Honorary degrees Bartleman was awarded many honorary degrees for his service, including the following:

Province Date School Degree 25 June 2002 University of Western Ontario Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) Fall 2003 York University Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) 2004 Queen's University Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) 2004 Algoma University Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) 2004 Laurentian University Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) 2005 Ryerson University Doctorate Spring 2005 University of Windsor Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) 29 May 2006 McGill University Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) 2006 Nipissing University Doctor of Education (D.Ed.) 2008 OCAD University Doctorate 2013 Carleton University Doctorate 10 June 2016University of TorontoDoctor of Laws (LL.D.)

Honorific eponyms

Awards Ontario: James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Awards