Mr. Speaker, today marks the 104th anniversary of the Halifax explosion. On the morning of December 6, 1917, the SS Mont-Blanc, an incoming munitions vessel, collided with the SS Imo, an outgoing Belgian relief vessel in Halifax harbour. Hundred-foot flames erupted from the ships as the volatile cargo violently exploded, the largest human-caused explosion until the atomic bomb.
Two thousand people were killed, 9,000 people were injured and every structure in an 800-metre radius was flattened. The hearts of Haligonians were shattered too, as they mourned the loss of their loved ones and neighbours. The explosion also damaged the tower clock and bell of Halifax city hall, but this year that bell was repaired and triumphantly returned to service, where it can now be heard at Grand Parade, a testament to the enduring efforts to rebuild our city.
It was community and love of place that helped us build back better following the explosion, and a century later we have not forgotten.