Vacant St. Patrick's-Alexandra School in Halifax being demolished
Firefighters have raised safety concerns around the unsecured building
A long-vacant former Halifax school in the city's north end is being demolished after years of safety complaints from neighbours and firefighters.
Crews were seen tearing down the St. Patrick's-Alexandra building, which sits between Maitland and Brunswick streets, on Thursday and Friday.
The union for most Halifax career firefighters said they welcomed the demolition after "consistently" raising concerns about the dangers of leaving derelict sites like St. Pat's-Alexandra unsecured, allowing people to break in.
"Our members responded to multiple fires at the vacant structure, each of which presented significant hazards to fire fighters and the public," said a statement from the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters.
Developer Joe Metlege, president of Jono Developments which owns the site, said Friday he had no comment about the demolition or whether there were any updates about future construction.
A demolition permit was issued for the site in mid-April.
The building has been vacant since the Halifax regional school board closed it in 2011.
Several community groups had hoped to turn the site into affordable housing and a community hub, but after legal disputes, the Halifax municipality eventually sold the property to Jono in 2020.
Like the nearby former Bloomfield school site, the St. Pat's-Alexandra property is subject to a buyback agreement — the municipality can repurchase the property if construction hasn't begun by a specified date.
Jono argued in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in 2024 that it fulfilled the agreement by pouring footings and foundations of an accessory structure on the property. Halifax Regional Municipality disagreed that this met the conditions of the agreement, and the matter had not moved ahead as of April.
CBC has asked HRM whether there has been any update on the court case.
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