On Friday, September 25th, Regional Council received a notification that the demolition application for the Forum was being paused. Municipal staff recently received an updated cost estimate for the Halifax Forum project. While the estimate still requires third-party validation, staff's review indicates that projected costs are now higher than the funding currently approved by Regional Council. As a result, staff are pausing the heritage demolition application process while they assess the updated cost information and prepare options for Council's consideration.

On September 15th, Regional Council received a Halifax Wanderers $100M Dual-Venue Proposal for Wanderers Grounds and Maybank.

Since Halifax Wanderers FC kicked off in the Canadian Premier League in 2019, fans have filled the stands at the historic Wanderers Grounds in downtown Halifax. Yet, the matchday reality has long featured makeshift infrastructure: portable toilets, no running water, aluminum bench seating, and retrofitted shipping containers serving as dressing rooms.

Understanding Nova Scotia’s Capped Assessment Program:

When Nova Scotia introduced the Capped Assessment Program (CAP) in 2005, its primary goal was straightforward: protect residential property owners from sudden, unpredictable spikes in property taxes driven by rapidly rising real estate assessments.

Regional Council approved a comprehensive 10-year roadmap to expand and protect affordable housing across the municipality. Presented at the August 2026 meeting (report here), the Affordable Housing Strategy (AHS) formalizes the city’s role in enabling non-market, supportive, and deeply affordable housing while unlocking the final $19.8 million installment of Halifax's $79.3 million federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) agreement.

After staff returned to Council with the information report (blog post here), I submitted a notice of motion. That motion arrived at Regional Council on August 25 (see here).

Motion for Council to Consider: 

THAT Halifax Regional Council direct the CAO to: