HALIFAX,
June 24, 2016 /CNW/ - The
Halifax Women's History Society announced today that CN has donated
$100,000 to the society's first
project, A Woman on the Waterfront, a monument honouring the
thousands of women who volunteered their time and labour during
wartime.
"During the Second World War, women gave untold
hours of service in aid of war and relief work," said Dr.
Janet Guildford, chair of the
Halifax Women's History Society board of directors. "Although there
were well-known women in Halifax
society who coordinated many of the efforts, the work was largely
carried out by thousands of anonymous women across the
province.
"The first monument to honor Halifax women, The Volunteers-Les
Bénévoles will honour and commemorate women's volunteer work,"
Guildford continued. "CN played an immense role in the war effort
and today we thank CN for once again making a difference in helping
bring this monument to the waterfront."
The Society will erect the monument on the
Halifax waterfront. Halifax is a naval port and crucial
gateway through which military troops and convoys — the lifeline
for war-torn Britain — went to and
from Europe during both world
wars.
"Throughout the war periods, CN trains carried
troops, family members and materials to and from Halifax," said Robert
Pace, chairman of the board of directors of CN. "Today we
are proud to support the society's efforts to honour the remarkable
work of thousands of Halifax women
whose own role has been largely untold."
"Throughout our history, CN has played an
important role in connecting Canadians with our past and with each
other," said Halifax Mayor
Mike Savage. "I am so pleased this
generous donation will help the Halifax Women's History Society put
a Woman on the Waterfront to honour the role women have played in
shaping the city and country we are today."
The home for the monument will be at the Halifax
Seaport, a vibrant arts and cultural district found at the south
end of the Halifax waterfront.
Through an agreement with the Halifax Port Authority, the monument
will be placed and maintained on their property between the Halifax
Seaport Farmers' Market and the Halifax Port Authority
Administration building.
"We are honoured that the Society has chosen the
Halifax Seaport as the home for The Volunteers-Les
Bénévoles," said Karen Oldfield,
President and CEO, Port of Halifax. "It is a great tribute to the
many women who volunteered on the waterfront, contributing to our
city and country during the war. Thank you to CN for its
support of this historical and cultural monument that will be a
significant addition to our public art at the Seaport, to educate
our local community and the millions of visitors who will walk by
it."
The Volunteers-Les Bénévoles monument on
the waterfront will feature three bronze figures commemorating
Halifax women and the society
plans to have it in place in 2017. In addition to the monument,
interpretive panels would illustrate through text and photographs
some of the many projects that women carried out during this
period.
About Halifax Women's History
Society
The Halifax Women's History Society was founded in
February 2013 by a group of women
concerned about the invisibility of women in the documentary and
visual record of Halifax. The goal
of the Society is to research and make known, through public
monuments, conferences, broadcasts, performance or written
material, the untold story of the remarkable and essential
contributions of women to the life and history of Halifax.
About CN
CN is a true backbone of the
economy, transporting more than C$250
billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business
sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to
consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000
route-miles spanning Canada and
mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its
operating railway subsidiaries -- serves the cities and ports of
Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New
Orleans, and Mobile, Ala.,
and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis., and
Jackson, Miss., with connections
to all points in North America.
For more information about CN, visit the Company's website at
www.cn.ca.
SOURCE CN