Fire Fighters
Police officers
Mayor Kelly - great to see you back on your feet
Ministers
Darrell Dexter
Stephen McNeil
MLAs
Councillors

Ladies and gentlemen.

It's humbling to be here this evening, among so many Nova Scotians who bravely endured fear, inconvenience and loss during the recent fires. And among the many heroes who risked their lives to protect people and property and to stop such a dangerous fire. DNR and HRM firefighters and RCMP officers are everyday heroes who went to extraordinary lengths on the weekend of June 13th. I have no doubt that their efforts saved dozens of homes and prevented serious injury and loss of life.

Today we are here to express our thanks.

The residents of the Porters Lake - Lake Echo area and of Tantallon have shown their gratitude in various heartfelt and often touching ways.

Many firefighters have been the recipients of spontaneous hugs in unexpected places. We’ve all seen the hand-made signs in front of homes and businesses. And then we have the messages from our youngest Nova Scotians that are displayed around the arena.

Children have a way of saying exactly what they mean, and the hand made cards of thanks express what we all feel – simply and directly. Shayla from Atlantic View Elementary School wrote: "You’re our hero. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so, so, so, so, so, so, much."

Another student wrote: "Thank you for saving my clothes. P.S. You rock."

Despite the heroic efforts, the wind-whipped fires destroyed two homes. It also had a devastating effect on large swaths of forest. The Department of Natural Resources is going to lend Mother Nature a hand in turning that forest green again. I’m very happy to tell you that the department will make up to 175 thousand black spruce seedlings available to residents who lost trees on their property during the fire.

The trees will be available in September during Forest Week - a time when we celebrate the importance of forests to our environment, our economy and our landscape.

Visit the Department of Natural Resources booth to find out more.

The fires were terrible.
But the response was uplifting.
I saw communities pulling together.
Neighbours helping neighbours.
Strangers opening their hearts and homes to evacuees.
Organizations springing into action to help Nova Scotians in a time of need.
And I saw courageous and professional firefighters and police performing extraordinary feats in the face of an out of control fire.

What I saw filled me with pride and overwhelming gratitude.

I want to take this opportunity to offer my personal and most sincere thanks to Department of Natural Resources firefighters, HRM firefighters, members of the RCMP, members of the Halifax Regional Search and Rescue, the Canadian Red Cross, and everyone else who went above and beyond the call of duty during the fires.

I know I speak for many when I say, I am truly grateful.

Thank you.