Past and Future Linked at Boston Tree Lighting

This year's Christmas tree-lighting in Boston will not only celebrate Nova Scotia's special history with the people of Massachusetts, it will open new doors for the future.

Premier John Hamm is leading a delegation in Boston today, Dec. 1, for the 34th annual tree-lighting ceremony and other business.

Every year, the province provides a giant evergreen tree, donated by a Nova Scotian, to the people of Boston to thank them for their generous relief assistance after the 1917 Halifax Explosion.

New England is one of Nova Scotia's most important markets for tourism, trade, and investment. While in Boston, the premier will promote the province at a number of events being hosted by Nova Scotia prior to the official tree-lighting ceremony.

"The lighting of the Nova Scotia tree in Boston is symbolic of our continuing connection to the people of Massachusetts," said the premier. "This is an opportunity to show our deep gratitude and also to strengthen our economic ties. We're forever linked through our past and we're building on that unique friendship to create new possibilities for our future."

The Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, together with Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, Destination Halifax, and the Nova Scotia Association of Community Business Development Corporations, will host a reception for travel trade, media, business clients, and special guests. Nova Scotia Business Inc., in partnership with the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, will host a business reception. The Office of Economic Development will also hold their second in a series of meetings with former Nova Scotians who continue to support closer economic relationships with the province.

At the tree-lighting ceremony this evening, Dec. 1, the Cape Breton band Beolach, along with six members of the 78th Highlanders Pipes and Drums, will join the entertainment line up. They will be included in the televised portion of the ceremony, which can be seen from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. AST on Boston's ABC affiliate Channel 5 WCVB, carried by some Nova Scotia cable stations.