Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the Halifax explosion that occurred 96 years ago today. The explosion destroyed much of the city of Halifax, the unfortunate result of a collision in the harbour between the SS Imo and the SS Mont Blanc.
The ensuing explosion travelled at more than 1,000 metres per second, propelling the barrel of one of Mont Blanc's big guns nearly six kilometres away to land in Dartmouth, while part of her anchor landed three kilometres south in Armdale. Every building within 2.6 kilometres, over 12,000 in total, was destroyed or badly damaged. The entire city of Halifax was devastated in what was to become the largest man-made explosion prior to the atomic bomb. Over 1,600 people were killed instantly and another 9,000 were injured.
Worse yet, the next day a severe nor'easter brought freezing temperatures and heavy snow, making the rescue effort even more difficult. To this day, the province of Nova Scotia sends a 50-foot Christmas tree to Boston every year in recognition of that explosion and the fact that the first relief train to come in with supplies and help arrived from Boston, Massachusetts.