Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hosts news conference from Victoria

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived for his surprise visit to the West Coast with stops planned in Victoria on Thursday and Vancouver on Friday.

Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan began the day at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, near Victoria. The two men went on a run with a group of sailors before touring the naval base.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enjoys a morning run with members of the Canadian Forces at CFB Esquimalt in Esquimalt, B.C., on Thursday. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

At 12:30 p.m. PT  Trudeau will hold an open media conference from CFB Esquimalt which will be livestreamed here. 

Thursday afternoon Trudeau will meet with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps who says she will again note the region’s opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion during the meeting.

“This government has made up its mind on Kinder Morgan,” Helps told CBC News. “Having said that, there are very active efforts, particularly led by First Nations, that are trying to stop the pipeline.”

Traffic disruptions are expected in Victoria along Pandora Avenue between Government Street and Douglas Street during the prime minister’s visit and Victoria City Hall will be closed in the afternoon.

Heading to Vancouver to meet premier

Trudeau will fly to Vancouver later in the day to meet with Premier Christy Clark to discuss the opioid crisis and softwood lumber.

On Friday he’ll stay in Vancouver to have a first-hand look at the city’s opioid drug crisis. Details of his schedule have yet to be released but B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake said he would also like to meet with the prime minister to discuss the deadly drug crisis.

“There are people working on the front lines that will be very happy to see Canada’s prime minister first-hand taking a look at this public health crisis that we’ve got in B.C,” Lake told reporters Wednesday.

With files from Richard Zussman