Achi news desk-
Despite showing its age, the Halifax Forum continues to play a vital role in the community and on Monday the organization that runs the facility gave the public an update on the redevelopment plan for the facility.
The redevelopment plans have gone through various stages of planning and discussion at Halifax council since 2014.
“The next election will be our fourth council that these plans have been in front of,” said Paul Card, board chairman of the Halifax Forum Community Association, which runs the Halifax Forum complex and is a partner with the borough.
Jack Woodill is a mason and bricklayer who has played hockey at the Halifax Forum, but on Tuesday he was outside the building on a scissor lift replacing old bricks and mortar so they don’t fall on people.
“I like working on old buildings,” says Woodill. “It’s really fun to see how long something has lasted in the city and be able to patch it up and repair it.”
Cardyn estimates 60 people attended a community meeting at the Halifax Forum Monday night, which focused in part on the temporary homeless shelter that operates in the facility’s multipurpose space.
Dozens of people attended a meeting about the Halifax Forum on April 15, 2024. (Source: James Kvammen / CTV News Atlantic)The meeting also discussed the redevelopment plan which has been a long time coming.
“He’s certainly past his prime,” said Card. “So we’re excited to be able to give an update and the community seemed excited as well.”
As for the construction timeline, Card says they and Halifax Regional Municipality are moving forward with the design and pre-construction phase. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.
Halifax Regional Municipality confirmed that the tendering and design process is underway and that it expects construction to be completed by 2030.
Design of the redeveloped Halifax Forum. (Source: Halifax Forum Community Association)The Halifax Forum complex has two ice surfaces and a number of multi-use and recreational areas, which Card says are in constant use.
The loss of two ice surfaces during construction would impact the Halifax hockey community.
“We’re busy all the time, so it’s going to be a tough question for the municipality on what we’re doing while this is being redeveloped,” Card said.
The longer the project takes, the more expensive it will get. Earlier cost estimates for the redevelopment plans have jumped from $81 million in 2021 to $110 million in 2023.
