It’s once again time to name that ferry. Halifax Transit has bought itself a spiffy new passenger ferry, which arrives this summer. Since the last naming contest was such a hit (with over 13,000 residents voting), HRM has launched another online poll to choose this new ship’s honorific.
You can read the official entries below, then visit Halifax’s survey page between now and January 30 to select your favourite.
Craig Blake
“On the day before the 100th anniversary of the navy, Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake became the first Canadian sailor to be killed in Afghanistan. PO2 Blake, 37, was killed by an improvised explosive device as he returned to camp from a routine road-clearing operation in Panjwai District, southwest of Kandahar City. He was a member of an elite navy group that specializes in neutralizing bombs, underwater and on-land and was based at the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic in Halifax. Craig Blake, who was married with two sons at the time of his passing, was born in Simcoe, Ontario.”
Vincent Coleman
“Although the policies and actions of former political figures and visionaries will long be debated, there can be little debate over the heroic actions of Vince Coleman. On December 6, 1917, during the events of the Halifax Explosion, he stayed behind to warn an inbound train about the impending explosion that would take his life. Regardless of how many people he actually saved, his actions speak to a level of heroism of which all Haligonians should be proud.”
Walter Fitzgerald
“After graduating from Dalhousie University, Mr. Fitzgerald began a 33 year career as an educator with both the Halifax City and Halifax County School Systems. Mr. Fitzgerald first entered politics when he was elected Alderman for the City of Halifax in 1966. In 1971, he put his education career on hold when he was elected Mayor of the City of Halifax. In 1974, he was elected MLA for Halifax Chebucto and was made a member of cabinet serving as Minister of Labour. In 1988, Mr. Fitzgerald returned to municipal politics to serve as Alderman in Ward 2, and then Deputy Mayor until 1994. That same year, he retired from his career as an educator, and was once again elected Mayor of the City of Halifax in October. In 1995, Mr. Fitzgerald was elected as the first Mayor of the newly formed Halifax Regional Municipality - a position he held until November 2000.”
Ruth Goldbloom
“When Ruth Goldbloom moved to Halifax in 1967, she started to get involved in her community. She was a fundraising chair for the Izaak Walton Killam Children's Hospital and became a fundraiser for Mount Saint Vincent University, at the time a women-only Catholic institution. In 1989, she became the first chairwoman of the Halifax United Way's annual fundraising drive. She and her husband were also involved with the arts community, and they helped support Symphony Nova Scotia and its precursor the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. In 1990, Goldbloom co-founded the Pier 21 Society, which eventually established the Pier 21 Museum. Mrs. Goldbloom was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1992 for her fundraising work at the Halifax United Way and at Mount Saint Vincent University. She was later promoted to an Officer of the Order of Canada in April 2000 for her work at Pier 21 and as Chancellor of the Technical University of Nova Scotia. Goldbloom was awarded the Order of Nova Scotia in 2008 for her volunteer work in social, religious and heritage organizations in the province.”
Raymond Taavel
“Mr. Taavel exemplified the practice of bridging the gap between people of different stripes; a well-known social and LGBTQ activist, the Chair of Halifax’s Gay Pride Week and editor for Wayves magazine, he was known as a kind, hard-working and generous person who was died trying to help another citizen. Mr. Taavel's work to bring communities together seems a fitting legacy to associate with a ferry that crosses between Halifax and Dartmouth every day.”
Maxine Tynes
“Maxine Tynes taught at both Auburn Drive and Cole Harbour High Schools, while also developing a successful career as a writer. In 1989, she published her first book, Borrowed Beauty. Tynes was a seventh-generation Nova Scotian, born in Dartmouth in 1949, with a family heritage dating back to the time of Black Loyalists. She used her background as inspiration in writing about the experiences of African Nova Scotians and the discrimination faced by residents of Africville, as well as composing works about gender relations, family, politics and life for people with disabilities. She was the first African Canadian to sit on the Board of Governors at Dalhousie University, her alma mater and she also received an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1992. The following year, Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn awarded Tynes the Canada 125 medal in recognition of her contribution to Canada, compatriots and community. Maxine Tynes died in September 2011 at the age of 62.”
