Taxpayers on the hook for demolition of Bloomfield site

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

The Halifax Regional Municipality is covering the cost of the demolition of a vacant former school in the city’s north end.

A demolition permit was issued by the municipality on March 11 for all three buildings on the Bloomfield property, which is owned by BANC Group. But the city will be footing the bill for that demolition, municipal spokesperson Laura Wright confirmed to CityNews Halifax on Wednesday.

“The final cost and the extent any of cost recoveries have not yet been determined,” she wrote in an email.

In May, 2023, BANC Group president Alex Halef told a Halifax standing committee he could not budget for the site’s demolition, which at the time he estimated would cost around $2 million.

Related:

• Council unanimously approves motion to address fire-ravaged Bloomfield School
• Fire destroys building at former Bloomfield School site in Halifax’s north end
• HRM could consider buy back rights for former Bloomfield School in light of recent fire

BANC purchased the Bloomfield property from the municipality in 2021 for about $22 million. Construction on the site must begin by January, 2026, or the city has the option to buy the property back.

News of the site’s demolition follows a significant fire in one of the buildings in February that prompted the Halifax firefighters’ union to issue a statement warning of the risks the “derelict” structures pose to firefighters and members of the public.

In a statement on Tuesday, Halef told CityNews Halifax that demolition was underway.