The future of the Halifax Forum is in question after the mayor said he wants to push pause on the project due to concerns around costs.
The nearly century-old building has long been slated for redevelopment, which was pegged at $38 million in 2014.
In 2023 — after years of reports, consultations, and debate — the project was poised to move forward to the design process, but the cost had risen to $110 million.
Last week, Mayor Andy Fillmore pointed out the project now carries a $126 million price tag, according to the 2026/27 capital budget, and construction is still not underway.
“The Halifax Forum is part of our shared heritage,” Fillmore said in a statement.
“But honouring our past also means making responsible choices for the future — especially when households are feeling the pinch of rising costs across the board.”
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Meanwhile, supporters of the Halifax Forum are urging council to stay the course.
“The mayor’s comments quite frankly shock me,” said Paul Card, Halifax Forum Community Association’s chair.
“Every single one of the councils has moved this project forward. They’ve endorsed it, they’ve debated it, they’ve moved it forward and discussed why it needs to be there.”
Card says the Forum has benefited the community greatly by providing rink and community spaces and even shelter beds.
“There are over 400,000 people visits, non-ice related people visits, that happen every single year at the forum: think of graduations, of flea markets,” he said.
Last Thursday, Fillmore said the cost of the project had “really become absurd” and believes council needs to revisit big-ticket projects like this.
“We’ve already gone down a road of spending some money on the project, but that’s not a reason to continue spending money on a too-expensive ice facility could be built at about a third of the cost on land elsewhere, freeing up the land for housing,” he said during his State of the Municipality address.
However, there are also historical and cultural concerns, some point out.
Shane Mailman, the programs and operations director for the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, said there’s a lot of history inside those walls.
“If we’re talking hockey, the Nova Scotia Voyagers hold a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. They used to pack the Halifax Forum. They won the Calder Cup in ’72, ’76, ’77,” he said.
Emma Lang, executive director of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, said buildings of this age deserve to be preserved.
“We’ve lost a huge amount of structures from the 20s, 30s, and even more from the more recent (years). That alone makes this a structure of concern,” she said.
Discussions on the Forum’s future will continue during the budget process.
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