Mayor fears council’s Halifax Forum vote will ‘haunt the municipality’

The $126 million Halifax Forum Redevelopment project remains on the books following a council vote on Tuesday.

A day after city councillors defeated a motion from Mayor Andy Fillmore to defer the Halifax Forum Redevelopment project by one year, he fears the consequences of keeping it on the books.

“I worry deeply that the decision of the council yesterday will haunt the municipality for a long time to come,” Andy Fillmore told CTV News on Wednesday.

“We can’t be consuming some of the most valuable land on the peninsula with these big, single-storey horizontal land consumptive uses,” he said. “What does need to be on the Forum site is housing, including affordable housing. We do need to have, recreation and community spaces like are there now.”

Fillmore wanted the $126 million project deferred so council could consider other locations.

It resulted in an 8-8 vote, meaning the motion failed.

He hopes to see the existing Forum site be developed – and the ice surfaces to be built elsewhere.

But the Halifax Forum Community Association is pleased that didn’t happen – yet.

“But we’re also cautiously optimistic,” said Paul Card, the association’s chair.

That’s because the door isn’t closed for Fillmore.

“I’m reserving the right to bring back a conversation again to council to try once more to try to redirect this project,” he said.

The existing project would require a complete rebuild given the condition of the Forum.

Fillmore maintained the price tag could be shared to help alleviate the pressure on taxpayers.

“There are private sector, and potentially public sector partners who are willing to come to the table with us on this,” he said.

Fillmore suggests a two-pad arena elsewhere could cost $45 to $50 million, citing “informal quotes” that he received from “the arena-building industry.”

But it’s not clear where would be considered. Fillmore said he didn’t have any locations in mind on Wednesday.

Many people have their share of stories about the 99-year-old arena, but several components are at risk or at end of life.

Staff say the facility needs to be closed for high winds and “snow events,” the exterior brick is “in poor condition creating risk of failure and injury,” and there are “severe issues with accessibility,” making it non-compliant with accessibility standards.

“Council has put delays and delays and delays and delays on the project,” Card said. “That’s why it’s $126 million. It’s $126 million because of inflation.”

“Maybe ten years ago, some of the building could have been saved,” he said. “It would have been nice to save aspects of it, but it’s not possible anymore.”

The proposal is for two NHL-sized ice surfaces – one that seats several thousand people, the other a couple hundred – along with a community space, a multi-purpose space used for recreation, trade shows, farmer’s markets and bingo.

It also has a green space, playground and dryland training space.

But Card said it’s also “part of our heritage and culture.”

“It’s an incredibly important facility, not only for the entire municipality, but also for this neighbourhood,” he said, referring to the Young District, which is “going through incredible amount of growth.”

Fillmore said if he brings up the debate again, it would likely be in April when councillors will receive another update on the project.

“Even today, I got a message from one of the councillors who voted against the motion expressing some interest in some of the things that were in the motion,” he said.

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