Mr. Speaker, yesterday a devastating fire in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, destroyed St. John's Anglican Church, the second oldest Anglican church in North America, a provincial heritage property and a national historic site.
It started in 1754 when the church's oak frame was brought from Boston. The church was built over a period of nine years by shipwright carpenters. An integral part of Lunenburg, St. John's was well known for its nativity scenes at Christmas and its 10 bells that rang daily at 2 p.m. It was also the burial site for some of the earliest settlers in the area.
I commend Lunenburg Fire Chief Terry Conrad and firefighters who battled the blaze. Although unable to save the structure, firefighters, church members and area residents managed to remove the hand carved altar and other artifacts.
Today our thoughts go out to church rector Reverend Irving Letto and Lunenburg residents. They as well as all Canadians have lost an important part of our heritage.