‘N.S. Strong’ since shooting
TRURO — Born out of a tragedy, “Nova Scotia Strong” is a message of resiliency that has taken on a life of its own.
In the aftermath of the killing of 22 people and an unborn baby last year in Nova Scotia, support flooded in from across the province and the world.
Pilot Dimitri Neonakis flew his plane over Portapique with a flight path in the shape of a heart. Local businesses, organizations and individuals raised money for those affected. During this, a message emerged: “Nova Scotia Strong."
And that message continued, becoming associated with other tragedies such as the disappearance last May of three-year-old Dylan Ehler in Truro, a military helicopter crash in the Mediterranean Sea with three Nova Scotians on board and the Snowbird crash that killed Capt. Jenn Casey from Halifax. All of this has been compounded by the difficulties of the COVID pandemic that kept many people from seeing each other and, which to date, has taken 66 lives in this province.
“Nova Scotia Strong was people's way of saying, 'we care,'” said Tom Taggart, municipal district councillor for the Portapique area. “People are proud to be Nova Scotia Strong."
MEANING OF MESSAGE
It is unclear who first started using the message, but “strong” has been used in the face of tragedies such as “Boston Strong” after the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and injured numerous others and “Moncton Strong” when three RCMP officers were killed and two others wounded by a gunman.
“When I hear the words ‘Nova Scotia Strong,' I think of axe-throwing gigantic men in kilts, chainsaws and fishermen,” said Tara Long, whose brother Aaron Tuck, who was originally from Sydney, died in the attacks. “And it's because we are strong — physically strong people and mentally capable of doing things."
Long is one of several family members looking for answers about what happened that night when a Dartmouth denturist went on a shooting rampage.
“When somebody's down, we pick them up,” said Long. “When somebody needs help, we help them. When you come to our house and you're hungry, we feed you. That's just what we're known for.
“But don't take our strain and misconstrue it as naivety, or our kindness. We are strong and we will fight together to get this figured out.”
Now, in any parking lot, it is easy to spot Nova Scotia Strong-related decals in car windows. It is printed on billboards and storefronts. On social media, people share #NovaScotiaStrong — though, it references anything from support for victims, proudness in Nova Scotia, to sports and vacation pictures. And, while driving through Portapique today, there is next to no indication of what happened there as the Colchester County community tries to get back to normal.
Typically, the symbol includes the province's shape, often with hearts or the Nova Scotia tartan. Long hopes that any person or business that carries the Nova Scotia Strong symbol carries the respect it embodies.
Nick Beaton's wife Kristen and their unborn baby died in the shootings. He said the support from the campaign and related window stickers put a smile on his face.
“Nova Scotia has always meant a lot to me and it definitely means even more now, because just the support I personally and all the other family members have gotten from everyone, Bluenosers, it's just been amazing,” said Beaton.
Since the attacks, Leon Joudrey has not been able to return home to Portapique. He has been living in the woods elsewhere with his dogs along the Bay of Fundy that he loves — doing OK, surviving from day to day.
“I thought it was good that people got involved because we wanted the inquiry right from the start,” said Joudrey. “People got involved, making T-shirts and hats and sweatshirts, stickers and signs. It was good to see."
Still, however, the Nova Scotia Strong symbol invokes different emotions for him.
“When (I) do see that, it does bring back a flood of memories for me,” he said. “It's hard to get your mind off it. That's the only down part ... for me, it brings back emotions a lot of the time. You drive along, you're not thinking of it and then you see ‘Nova Scotia Strong.' So, you start going back through it again in your brain.”
But Joudrey also feels lucky to be alive. After waking up at 3 a.m. on April 19 and seeing texts about fires, he drove around the community without realizing his friends and neighbours had been killed. Later, he had to call 911 when the shooter's spouse showed up at his home.
“Things could have went the other way,” he said. “I just fell asleep at the right time or I would have drove down there and been shot too.”
Despite his misgivings, however, Joudrey does believe in the Nova Scotia Strong message and the sentiment it imparts. And he hopes to reach a point where his emotions are not as raw or difficult, and to one day return home, closer to family.
While many symbols and items communicate Nova Scotia Strong, it is not always clear who the creator is and their intentions.
These days, one can find anything online. A quick search of “Nova Scotia Strong” on marketplaces such as Amazon and Esty produces items such as masks, flags, ballcaps and decals. Many descriptions lack any indication of where profits go, and most are made abroad. However, the few ratings make it unclear if many people do buy these products.