Although we can’t gather in crowds this year to commemorate those who were lost and injured due to the Halifax Explosion, this day will not go unrecognized.

When you walk through Dartmouth or Halifax, it’s hard to imagine that so much of this place was flattened. But there are small windows to the past throughout the city.

I laid a wreath today at the Mont Blanc Cannon site at 171 Albro Lake in Dartmouth. Melted and bent, it’s a stark reminder of what happened here.
At 9:04 on Dec 6th, 1917, the Halifax Explosion took place, causing waves of destruction on both sides of the Harbour. The largest human-made explosion at the time.

With around 2,000 dead, and countless people injured, it changed this place forever.

So much destruction throughout Dartmouth and Halifax. The Mi’kmaq village of Turtle Grove on the Dartmouth side was destroyed, and they were never given the opportunity to resettle.