It still doesn’t have an official opening date, but that hasn’t slowed down the excitement around the progress of the new Halifax Convention Centre.
“This facility itself, although physically placed in downtown Halifax, is an asset to all Nova Scotians,” Minister of Business Mark Furey said.
The facility was supposed to open in January 2016, but the timing has since been pushed to next year.
Despite delays, event bookings haven’t slowed: the new centre has 50 national and international events on its schedule.
It’s business that’s expected to attract over 40,000 visitors to the province.
“As we look towards 2017, we have a lot of excitement in front of us—not just as an organization—but I think as a community and as a province,” said Scott Ferguson, CEO of Trade Centre Limited.
The Halifax Convention Centre is part of the Nova Centre, and funding for the facility is shared between three levels of government.
The total cost is $169.2 million.
“This convention centre is more than just a building, it’s a significant economic generator for the province. It will connect our schools, our universities, our hospitals. It employs, it creates taxes, it is a huge economic generator,” Ferguson said.
The Nova Centre is a mega-structure that’s being developed by Argyle Developments Ltd.
Its price tag comes in at $500 million, and by June it’s expected to employ 500 workers.
“This convention centre will be competitive with leading facilities across Canada and the world,” said Joe Ramia, president and CEO of Argyle Developments Inc.
The convention centre plans to begin hosting events in early 2017.