Bluenose II Gets One of a Kind Table

The Bluenose II, Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador, will carry a piece of every Canadian province and territory when it sets sail again after its extensive restoration.

A table built with materials from across the country was dedicated at Province House today, July 26, by the Council of the Federation which held the summer meeting of Canada's premiers in Nova Scotia. It will be permanently installed on the Bluenose II.

"Much like the Council of the Federation, the table represents the sum of many individual parts, our country's diversity, and our collective strength," said Premier Darrell Dexter. "The table will serve as a beautiful symbol of the contribution each province and territory makes to our great country. Like the Bluenose itself, it is a true Canadian legacy."

The council often gives a special item as a legacy to the province hosting the summer meeting. It reflects the premiers' leadership, deliberations, commitment, and work to improve the lives of Canadians.

Building materials for the table include:

• red spruce from Nova Scotia
• red oak from Prince Edward Island
• spruce from Newfoundland and Labrador
• sugar maple from New Brunswick
• black walnut from Ontario
• spruce from Quebec
• white spruce from Manitoba
• white birch from Saskatchewan
• Lodgepole pine from Alberta
• Douglas fir from British Columbia
• granite from Nunavut
• a piece of four billion-year-old Acaster Gneiss rock from the Northwest Territories
• a gold nugget from the Yukon

The table was built by Colin O'Toole of Covey Island Boatworks, one of the three companies restoring the Bluenose II in Lunenburg.