Halifax: The Mayor of Canada's east coast city of Halifax has apologised to the former residents and descendants of Africville, a black community that was razed four decades ago to make way for a bridge.
Mayor Peter Kelly said on Wednesday he recognised that words could not express the depth of loss experienced since the destruction of Africville, recognised as a shameful chapter in the city's history.
Situated in Halifax's north end, Africville was established by slaves who fled the US in the early 1800s on the shore overlooking Bedford Basin. It was torn down in the 1960s to make way for the approaches to a bridge across Halifax harbour as part of an urban renewal initiative.
The city says it will reconstruct a church to serve as a memorial.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010, 11:05