When on a cruise... Halifax (long)
John Sisker
Complied and presented by...
John Sisker - SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY (sm)
(714) 536-3850 or toll-free at (800) 724-6644 & (Agency ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com
NOTE: Because of some major computer problems, this "When on a cruise:"
series had to be put on hold until now. Likewise, my e-mail notification
list had to be recreated as well. Therefore, any time delays and/or category
assignments was chosen by events and/or my personal choice of destinations
that I have actually visited - not by any other outside influence.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
* HISTORY...
* HALIFAX HARBOR...
* CRUISES...
* GEOGRAPHY...
* DEMOGRAPHICS...
* ECONOMY...
* THE HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY...
* THE MARITIME MUSEUM OF THE ATLANTIC...
* THE TITANIC...
* THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION...
* CITY CENTER...
* TRANSPORTATION...
* MAJOR PARKS...
* MEDIA...
* CLIMATE...
* SCHOOLS...
* SPORTS...
* SHORE EXCURSIONS...
* PHOTO ALBUMS...
HISTORY...
In its early history, the town of Halifax was established by the British to
counter-balance the French presence in both Quebec and Acadia. Yet, this
early history also showed Halifax as the primary North Atlantic base for the
Royal Navy. However, the city had difficulty sustaining practical economic
success in its early history as the regional center and colonial capital.
After the official creation of the Halifax Regional Municipal (HRM) in 1996,
the term "Mainland Halifax" became the official description of the area. The
harbor, runs in a northwest - southeast direction. Lawlor's Island and
Devils Island, while outside the defined harbor limits, is frequently
included in descriptions of Halifax Harbor and the surrounding area.
Halifax is a very special port for me personally, not just because of its
history, location and Canadian influence, but because of the tie-in to the
Titanic. I've always had a fascination for the Titanic and its connections,
so I told my wife Deborah, that some type of shore excursion connected to
the Titanic while in Halifax was a must. I'll be talking more on that
connection and the involvement Halifax played in the history of the Titanic
a bit later.
As already pointed out, Halifax is in Nova Scotia County, a Province of Nova
Scotia Regional Municipality. It was incorporated on April 17, 1879 and
dissolved into the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) on April 1, 1996.
Additional details include...
* Present Governing Council - Halifax Regional Council Area
* Total 5,495.54 km (2,121.8 sq mi)
* Population: 372,679
* Density 65.4 km (169.4 sq mi)
* Time Zone AST (UTC-4)
* Area Code: 902
* Median Earnings $46,941
Sometimes known as just Halifax, Metro Halifax is the most populous urban
area in Atlantic Canada and home to Nova Scotia's capital district. The
Halifax Urban Area is unusual in that the entire urban, suburban and rural
commuter-shed - as well as a substantial unrelated rural area - are all a
part of a single-tier municipal corporation called the Halifax Regional
Municipality (HRM), a regional municipality that governs the entire country,
coverings a geographic area larger than the province of Prince Edward
Island. The Halifax Urban Area benefits from a process of increased rural
depopulation and corresponding urban growth in Atlantic Canada.
The harbor, marked by the oldest operating lighthouse in North America, is
at the entrance on Smabro Island, and is also marked by an extensive network
of buoys and other lighthouses. Currently run by the Halifax Port Authority
(HPA), which was previously run by the National Harbor Board, is now a
federally-appointed agency and administers and operates various port
properties on the harbor.
HALIFAX HARBOR...
For a great view of the harbor and a fun, relaxing way to reach Dartmouth,
take the Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry. The Metro Transit ferry operates
throughout the day between the downtown terminal near Historic Properties
and Dartmouth's Ferry Terminal Park. A rush-hours-only ferry also runs
between the downtown terminal and Woodside, near Eastern Passage.
Looking out toward the harbor entrance as you cross, the nearest island is
George's Island, with the small lighthouse on the side. It played a key role
in the harbor's defense system for almost 200 years. Although not open to
the public, it has been named a National Historic Site, and the federal
heritage department is currently restoring its fortifications.
Farther out in the harbor, a ferry from Eastern Passage or charter boats
from Cable Wharf can reach McNab's Island. McNab's was another important
part of the harbor defense system, but also home to several generations of
independent settlers. Today a network of trails leads past the island's
lighthouse, ruined fortress and batteries, sand beaches and abandoned
homesteads.
Lawlor's Island, as mentioned earlier, lies close to the mainland, creating
the eastern entrance to the harbor. Never the site of military construction,
it is primarily undeveloped woodland, the protected home of deer and osprey.
CRUISES...
Twenty-one (21) million dollars is contributed to the local economy because
of the cruise season. This consists of 176,000 cruise passengers and 92
ships calling on Halifax from April to October. Likewise, these is a major
impact on the Nova Scotia economy just because of cruises.
Some cruise lines calling on Halifax:
(http://www.shiptoshorecruise.com/Inventory.htm)
* Carnival Cruise Line
* Celebrity Cruises
* Crystal Cruises
* Cunard
* Holland American Line
* Norwegian Cruise Line
* Royal Caribbean International
GEOGRAPHY...
The coastline is heavily indented, accounting for its length of
approximately 400 kilometers (250 mi), with the northern boundary usually
being between 50-60 kilometers (30-37 mi) inland. The coast is mostly rock
with small isolated sand beaches in sheltered bays. The largest bays include
St. Margarets Bay, Halifax Harbour/Bedford Basin, Cole Harbour, Musquodoboit
Harbour, Jeddore Harbour, Ship Harbour, Sheet Harbour, and Ecum Secum
Harbour.
The municipality's topography spans from lush farmland in the Musquodoboit
Valley to rocky and heavily forested rolling hills.
DEMOGRAPHICS...
The Halifax Regional Municipality is comprised of 372,679 residents (2006
census). Approximately 18% of the population is under the age of 14, while
11% are 65 and older.
ECONOMY...
The urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality is a major economic centre
in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and
private sector companies. Halifax serves as the business, banking,
government and cultural centre for the Maritime region. Major employers and
economic generators include the Department of National Defence, as well as
the Port of Halifax. The municipality has a growing concentration of
manufacturing industries and is becoming a major multi-modal transportation
hub through growth at the port, the Halifax Stanfield International Airport,
and improving rail and highway connections. A real estate boom in recent
years has led to numerous new property developments, including the
gentrification of some former working-class areas.
Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas ext raction are major
resource industries found in the rural areas of HRM. HRM's largest
agricultural district is in the Musquodoboit Valley; the total number of
farms in HRM is 150, of which 110 are family-owned. Fishing harbours
are located along all coastal areas with some having an independent harbour
authority, and others being managed as small craft harbours under the
federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Other resource industries in HRM include the natural gas fields off the
coast of Sable Island, as well as clay, shale, gold, limestone, and gypsum
extraction in rural areas of the mainland portion of the municipality.
THE HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY...
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia,
Canada, making it the seat of the provincial Crown. The municipality is
commonly called HRM or informally, Halifax
The first permanent European settlement in the area was the establishment of
the Town of Halifax in 1749 when the colonial capital was transferred from
Annapolis Royal; other towns and villages were established throughout
adjacent areas of what would become Halifax County in the decades that
followed. In 1996 the provincial government amalgamated all municipal
governments within Halifax County to create HRM, a regional municipality
comprising approximately 200 individual neighborhoods and communities
for civic addressing grouped into 18 planning areas for zoning purposes.
HRM's urban area is a major economic centre in eastern Canada with a large
concentration of government services and private sector companies. Major
employers and economic generators include the Department of National
Defense, various levels of government, and the Port of Halifax. Agriculture,
fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource
industries found in the rural areas of HRM.
THE MARITIME MUSEUM OF THE ATLANTIC...
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, located at 1675 Lower Water St. and on
the grounds of the Citadel National Historic Park, is the perfect place for
the 'seaworthy' enthusiast to find out about everything involving Nova
Scotia maritime history from 1850 to present.
You'll love learning about The Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian merchant
marine. You'll find exhibits that include the small boats once used around
the coast. One of the most popular collections features information about
local shipwrecks as well as the 1917 Halifax Explosion.
The museum's largest artifact is the 1913 hydrographic vessel CSS Acadia,
the ship that spent its long life charting the coasts of Labrador and the
Artic. The museum has a permanent exhibit about the Titanic disaster, as
many of the victims were buried in Halifax. The Titanic display includes 20+
artifacts and many photographs. The only surviving deck chair is housed at
the Maritime Museum.
THE TITANIC...
The maiden voyage of the Titanic really ends in Halifax, not so much at the
bottom of the sea; with the most lasting legacy from the sinking ending
here. While the world was indeed stunned in 1912 by the loss of the ocean
line Titanic on her maiden voyage, Halifax (Nova Scotia), located on the
eastern coast of Canada, has one of the most moving and intimate connections
with the disaster. Playing a key roll during the tragedy, Halifax was
involved in the aftermath and became the final resting place for many of her
victims.
Involved in the grim task of recovering victims, three Halifax ships were
involved. Therefore, many of the victims were laid to rest in three of the
City's cemeteries. Rolls of black granite headstones, each inscribed with
the same date, April 15, 1912, are a stark reminder of the disaster.
At the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, are touching reminders of
the ship's lost luxury, her violent end, and a special role that the Halifax
port played as the enormity of the disaster unfolded. There are many
artifacts pulled from the water within weeks of the sinking by ships from
Halifax, including wooden artifacts collected at the scene of the disaster,
including one of the only Titanic deck chair known to exist.
Many of these artifacts, including the Titanic section at the local
cemetery, can be scene in my photo albums of Halifax and the surrounding
area.
THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION...
Fully loaded with high wartime explosives, on Thursday, December 6, 1917 at
8:40 in the morning, the French cargo ship exploded , destroying the City of
Halifax. The ship accidently ran into a Norwegian ship in the narrow section
of Halifax Harbor. Around 2,000 people, mostly Canadians, were killed from
debris, fires, and/or collapsed buildings. It is estimated that 9,000 people
were injured.
Not until the first atomic-bomb test explosion in 1945, this was the largest
man-made explosion anywhere. It is still considered one of the world's
largest man-made non-nuclear explosions to date.
* Mont-Blanc: (a French cargo ship) chartered by the French government to
carry acumination.
* Norwegian Ship IMO: (chartered the Commission for Relief in Belgium to
carry
relief supplies).
Equivalent to approximately 3 kilotons of TNT, the Mont-Blanc exploited with
more force than any man-made explosion before it. The explosion damaged
building and shattered windows as far away as Sackvill and Windsor Junction,
about 16 Kilometers (10 miles) away. The following day, a blizzard dropped
40 centimeters (16 inches) of snow. Therefore, those who remained trapped in
the rubble, the injured, or those who have yet to be found or attended to,
were often left in the bitter cold. This added to the great loss.
The explosion caused roughly $35 million Canadian dollars, according to
estimated, which was in 1917 dollars. With adjustments for inflation, this
is around $500 million in 2008 dollars.
CITY CENTER...
The urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality is a major cultural centre
within the Atlantic provinces. The municipality's urban core also benefits
from a large population of post-secondary students who strongly influence
the local cultural scene. HRM has a number of art galleries, theatres and
museums, as well as most of the region's national-quality sports and
entertainment facilities. The municipality is home to many performance
venues, namely the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, the Neptune Theatre, and The
Music Room. HRM also is the home to many of the regions major cultural
attractions, such as Symphony Nova Scotia, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia,
and the Neptune Theatre.
The region is noted for the strength of its music scene and nightlife,
especially in the central urban core.
HRM plays host to a wide variety of festivals that take place throughout the
year, including: The Atlantic Film Festival, The Royal Nova Scotia
International Tattoo, The Halifax Busker Festival, Greekfest, Gay Pride
week, The Atlantic Jazz Festival, The Multicultural Festival, periodic Tall
Ship events, and Shakespeare by the Sea, to name a few. Many of these
celebrations have become world renowned over the past several years.
HRM has also become a significant film-production centre, with many American
and Canadian filmmakers using the streetscapes, often to stand in for other
cities that are more expensive to work in. The Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation has its Atlantic Canada production centres (radio and
television) based in Halifax, and quite a number of radio and television
programs are made in the region for national broadcast.
HRM is considered by many to be the cultural centre of the Maritimes. The
municipality has been able to maintain many of its maritime and military
traditions, while opening itself to a growing multicultural population.
TRANSPORTATION...
The Halifax Regional Municipality is served by all modes of transportation.
Halifax Harbour is a major Canadian port used by numerous shipping lines, as
well as the navy and coast guard and hosts a public ferry service connecting
the urban core. Sheet Harbour is the other major port in the municipality
and serves industrial shippers on the Eastern Shore.
The Halifax Port Authority's various shipping terminals constitute the
eastern terminus of Canadian National Railway's transcontinental network.
VIA Rail Canada provides overnight passenger rail service six days a week to
Montreal with its train the Ocean.
Halifax Stanfield International Airport serves HRM and most of the province,
providing scheduled flights to domestic and international destinations. CFB
Shearwater, an air force base, is located in the urban core on the eastern
side of Halifax Harbour but is presently being decommissioned for fixed-wing
aircraft.
The municipality's urban core is linked by the Angus L. Macdonald and A.
Murray MacKay suspension bridges, as well as a network of 100-series
highways which function as expressways. The Armdale traffic circle is a
notorious choke point for vehicle movement in the western part of the urban
core, especially at rush hour.
The urban core of HRM is served by Metro Transit, which operates standard
bus routes, bus-rapid transit routes, as well as the pedestrian-only harbour
ferries. Established in 1752 , the municipality's ferry service is the
oldest continuously running salt water ferry service in North America.
MAJOR PARKS...
* Point Pleasant Park, a forested seaside park on peninsular Halifax.
* Dartmouth Commons
* Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
* Halifax Commons
* Point Pleasant Park
* Public Gardens
* Shubie Park
* Sir Sandford Fleming Park
* York Redoubt National Historic Site
* Long Lake Provincial Park
MEDIA...
HRM is the Maritimes' centre for broadcast and print media. CBC, CTV and
Global Television all have regional television hubs in the municipality. CBC
Radio has a major regional studio and there are also regional hubs for
Rogers Radio and various private broadcast franchises, as well as a regional
bureau for The Canadian Press/Broadcast News.
HRM's print media is centered on its single daily newspaper, the broadsheet
The Chronicle-Herald as well as two free newspapers, the daily
commuter-oriented edition of Metro and the free alternative arts weekly The
Coast. Frank Magazine provides HRM with a weekly satirical and gossip
magazine.
From 1974-2008, HRM had a second daily newspaper, the tabloid The Daily News
which still publishes several neighborhood weekly papers such as The
Bedford-Sackville Weekly News, The Halifax West-Clayton Park Weekly News and
the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Weekly News. Theses weekly papers compete with
The Chronicle-Herald's weekly Community Heralds HRM West, HRM East, and HRM
North.
CLIMATE...
HRM's climate is heavily influenced by its location on Nova Scotia's
Atlantic coast. The weather is usually milder or cooler than that of central
Canada, with the temperature remaining (with occasional notable exceptions)
between about -15°C and 35°C (5°F to 95°F) inland but the coast can be
milder in the winter and cooler in the summer with the maritime influence.
SCHOOLS...
The Halifax Regional Municipality has a well-developed network of public and
private schools, providing instruction from primary to grade 12; one hundred
and fifty public schools are administered by the Halifax Regional School
Board, as well as three public schools administered by the Conseil Scolaire
Acadien Provincial, whereas the fourteen private schools are operated
independently.
The municipality is also home to the following post-secondary educational
institutions: Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, Mount Saint
Vincent University, the Halifax campus of Université Sainte-Anne, University
of King's College, Atlantic School of Theology, NSCAD University, and the
Nova Scotia Community College. The presence of so many university and
college students contributes to a vibrant youth culture in the region, as
well as making it a major centre for university education in eastern Canada.
SPORTS...
The Halifax Regional Municipality is home to a number of outdoor
recreational opportunities, including numerous ocean and lake beaches, as
well as rural and urban parks. The municipality has a host of organized
community intramural sports, as well as varsity and intramural sports
offered by public schools and post-secondary institutions and has extensive
facilities.
The region is home to several professional and semi-professional sport
franchises, such as the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League, as well as a newly-announced Halifax Rainmen of the American
Basketball Association.
The region has also hosted several major sporting events, including the 2003
World Junior Hockey Championship, 2003 Nokia Brier, the 2004 Women's World
Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.
From 1984 to 2007, the region had been home to the CIS Men's Basketball
Championship, however the tournament will be moved to Ottawa, Ontario
starting in 2008.
Halifax was selected as Canada's bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in 2006
but withdrew from the international competition in advance of the November
9, 2007 selection date on March 8.
The municipality was selected as the host community for the 2011 Canada
Winter Games in February 2007.
SHORE EXCURSIONS...
As a reference, I have included some of the optional shore excursions for
Halifax, including Holland American Line (our cruise), instead of just
trying to list everything that is available. This way, nothing will ever
become outdated, as the cruise lines themselves modify their own online
information. One can naturally sign up for the cruise line organized tours,
and/or simply use this information to see what's suggested, then do things
on your own. After all, it's your cruise.
* Carnival Cruise Line
(http://www.carnival.com/ShoreExcursionsSearchResults.aspx?region=NN&portcode=YHZ&portname=Halifax%2c+NS%2c+Canada)
* Celebrity Cruises
(http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/processKeywordSearch.do?ip_text=Halifax&ip_server=prdiphrase-structcelasr-new222.dmz.rccl.com%3A2000&securityClasses=asr&x=21&y=7)
* Crystal Cruises http://www.crystalcruises.com/content.aspx?ID=10005#shorex
* Holland American Line
(http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-destinations/ShoreExcursions!viewExcursions.action?destCode=N&portCode=YHZ)
* Royal Caribbean International
(http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ports/group/home.do;jsessionid=0000cKuG9Yb37s4cpzWNBgRKOmi:12hbiodf7?dest=ATLCO&portCode=YHZ)
PHOTO ALBUMS...
(pictures taken by John & Deborah Sisker)
* Halifax
(http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9AZsmzVo3bqIMo&emid=sharshar&linkid=link3)
* New England/Canada Cruise Aboard Holland American Line Maasdam
(http://familyalbums.funtigo.com/?b=183633&p=1.0&n=1&cr=1)
Reference, background and/or source materials:
* Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Regional_Municipality)
* Halifax Regional Municipality (http://www.halifax.ca/)
* Halifax Information (http://www.halifaxinfo.com)
* Port of Halifax (http://www.portofhalifax.ca)
* Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/index.html)
* Halifax/Titanic (http://titanic.gov.ns.ca/)
* Halifax International Airport Authority (http://www.hiaa.c/)
* Nova Scotia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Scotia)
For reference, and with the exception of specific Wikipedia requirements,
the above was source material as the basic for information for this series,
and yet, is still in connection with the "fair use" exemption to copyright
law, which was created to allow things such as commentary, parody, news
reporting, research and education about copyrighted works without the
permission of the author. Furthermore, the license Wikipedia uses grants
free access to their content in the same sense as free software is licensed
freely.
Happy sailing...
John Sisker - SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY (sm)
(714) 536-3850 or toll-free at (800) 724-6644 & (Agency ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com
North of 60
It would have saved a lot of bandwidth and time if you had merely
posted the url for the wikipedia article about Halifax.
IMHO, you are certainly pushing the boundaries of "fair use" by
copying directly from other sites. I wonder if they know you are doing
this?
John Sisker wrote:
> When on a cruise... Halifax (Nova Scotia), Canada
>
> Complied and presented by...
> John Sisker - SHI*-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY (sm)
Charles
<1a103f9a-b646-4f40...@s8g2000prg.googlegroups.com>,
North of 60 <cmga...@gmail.com> wrote:
> It would have saved a lot of bandwidth and time if you had merely
> posted the url for the wikipedia article about Halifax.
> IMHO, you are certainly pushing the boundaries of "fair use" by
> copying directly from other sites. I wonder if they know you are doing
> this?
It is not the first time he has copied from others or other sites. It
has been explained to him why it is wrong. He knows. He does not care.
So many of us in this newsgroup ignore him. I for one wasn't aware he
had posted again until you replied to him and quoted him.
--
Charles