Contributed by Brian Simpson. 
On March 2 nd, as I headed off to work, I noticed a moving van pulling into 650 Parliament St. But there
had been trucks coming and going there for well over a year, and while something seemed different, I
thought nothing of it. But later that night, as I looked out the front of my house, I realized something
was indeed different.
The lights are back on at 650 Parliament Street. And the 1,500 residents have begun moving back in.
For those of you that aren’t familiar, a seemingly minor electrical fire on August 21, 2018, was not so
minor after all, and resulted in ALL of the residents having to move out "temporarily". What was
originally thought to be a few weeks turned into a few months, and eventually ended up being over 1½
years! Can you imagine? Having to leave your home and then only be able to go back in to grab a few
things and leave pretty much everything else behind?
Sadly, that happened to the residents of 650 but thankfully, our community quickly came together to
help those that were displaced, with offers of clothing, food and even, as my partner and I did,
welcoming people into our own homes until they could something somewhat more permanent.
So after a long 18+ months, the lights are back on at 650 Parliament Street everyone.
Welcome back, neighbours!
