Provincial release:

The historic Tree for Boston will come from Mattie Settlement, Antigonish County this year.

The 13.7-metre (45-foot) white spruce is being donated by landowners Hugh and Liz Ryan.

The Tree for Boston is the Province’s annual thank you to Boston for sending medical personnel and supplies to Nova Scotia within hours of the Halifax Explosion in 1917.

The public is invited to attend the tree-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, November 20, at 10:30 a.m. at 100 Mill Rd., Mattie Settlement. The event will begin with a smudging ceremony led by Trevor Gould of Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation.

“We have watched this tree grow from a young sapling to its present height for the last 30 years. We are happy and proud to donate this tree to Boston as a heartfelt thank you for all the help received during a great hardship in Halifax.” 
— Ryan family

Quick Facts:
– 2024 marks the 107th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion
– the explosion devastated north-end Halifax, killed nearly 2,000 people and left thousands more injured and homeless
– the first Tree for Boston was donated by Joseph Slauenwhite from Lunenburg County
– the Tree for Boston will leave from Halifax on November 24; the City of Boston will hold its tree-lighting ceremony on December 5 at 7 p.m. at the Boston Common