Halifax Transit's newest ferry, Viola Desmond, arrives in Halifax Harbour
The official launch date for the ferry is July 7
The ferry named after Nova Scotia civil rights activist Viola Desmond docked on the Dartmouth side of the harbour on Sunday, but its maiden voyage won't be for another couple of weeks.
Halifax Transit's newest ferry will officially launch July 7 at 10:00 a.m. at Nathan Green Square in Halifax.
The public voted to name the ferry after Viola Desmond. Out of 19,239 votes, she received just under a third.
Desmond — who ran a barbershop and beauty parlour in Halifax — was arrested in New Glasgow in 1946 when she sat in the whites only section of a movie theatre. She fought the charges and won an appeal in court. Desmond's case is credited with helping end segregation in Nova Scotia in 1954.
Our new ferry, the Viola Desmond, in a little family portrait on Dartmouth waterfront. <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCNS">@CBCNS</a> <a href="https://t.co/YKlSdVzANb">pic.twitter.com/YKlSdVzANb</a>
—@SteveBerryCBCThe ferry was built by A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd., which is located in Meteghan River, N.S.
Viola Desmond... underway and making way for Halifax. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hfxtransit?src=hash">#hfxtransit</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pk5TCgPju6">pic.twitter.com/Pk5TCgPju6</a>
—@hfxtransitViola Desmond at the public wharf in Saulnierville, NS. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hfxtransit?src=hash">#hfxtransit</a> <a href="https://t.co/CTLTm1uQvl">pic.twitter.com/CTLTm1uQvl</a>
—@hfxtransit