Halifax convention centre proposal approved

By Chris McGregor

HALIFAX—Plans are moving forward to replace the aging World Trade and Convention Centre (WTCC) with a building three times the current size. 

The new Nova Centre is to be built in downtown Halifax just south of the existing 50,000 square foot facility on a two-block site bounded by Market, Argyle, Prince and Sackville Streets.

Cost for the venue comes with a price tag estimated at between $100 million and $200 million. Rank Inc., a Halifax-based development company won the development bid that also includes an 18-storey hotel with as many as 500 rooms and a 14-storey office building.

Space in the current WTCC is in short supply, the building is too small to handle the demand many conventions need and loading and unloading is a challenge.

Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons, manager of communications with Trade Centre Limited, said demolition of the site, the old home of the Chronicle Herald newspaper, could start as early as this summer.

“If all goes well and everything runs according to plan, construction could be starting this fall,” Kirkpatrick Parsons said. "The city and the province have committed to having a convention centre up and running by January 2013.”

Kirkpatrick Parsons said it is too early in the process, which is still in the request for proposal stage, to know specifics about the range of foodservice offerings or the hotel banner.

“The plan as it exists right now is to have a 4.5 to 5-star hotel with 300 to 500 rooms.”

Nina Kressler, vice-president of sales and marketing at Trade Centre Limited, said the existing convention centre is too small to meet the needs of new trade show business.

“One of our biggest challenges has been that we have been unable to host multiple, large-scaled events,” Kessler said, in a statement.

The Halifax Regional Municipality chose the former Chronicle Herald site over another company’s proposal to build the convention centre on 16-acres at the end of Cogswell Street.

“This is a critical piece of our overall major events strategy,” said Scott Ferguson, president of Trade Centre Limited, which runs the WTCC.

“A new convention centre will catapult Halifax onto the world stage when it comes to vying for major conferences and events.”