Workers discover mystery box at QEH

Demolition crews at the former Queen Elizabeth High School site in Halifax discovered what appears to be a 70-year-old time capsule.

Workers found a sealed copper box, slightly larger than a phone book,in the back end of the buildings cornerstone last week. The stone was laid in 1941.

There are no identifying markings on the box, and its contents and origins are unknown.

Transportationand Infrastructure Renewal, which is overseeing the demolition,is co-ordinating an official opening with the departments of Education and Communities, Culture and Heritage.

Queen Elizabeth graduates from the early 1940s can call 902-424-0849 to take part in the ceremony, which will be held in early September.

"We're hopeful the contents inside will illustrate what life was like in Nova Scotia in the early 1940s," Bill Estabrooks, minister of transportation,said Tuesday. "Whatever is in this box, we want to share the thrill of opening it with the people who are connected with the opening of the school, and people who lived in the area at the time."

QEH opened in September 1942. It closed in 2007 after 65 years of use, when Citadel High School opened nearby.

The demolition of QEHbegan last October but there have been numerous delays, including a dispute with a contractor.Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal hired a new contractor after dismissing Demolition Resources Ltd. in late June.

Crews did not reach the cornerstone where the boxwas founduntil last week.

Demolition isscheduled for completion by late September or early October.