Downtown core, upward trends
Transforming, expanding and improving Halifax
From an economic standpoint, there is no question that just as Halifax is the heart of Nova Scotia’s economic prosperity, downtown is the heart of Halifax’s economy.” — Paul Mackinnon, CEO, Downtown Halifax Business Commission
Housing the entertainment sector with Neptune Theatre, the Halifax Convention Centre, Scotiabank Centre and 200 restaurants and bars, downtown Halifax represents more than a billion dollars of property assessment.
Home to NSCAD University and within close range of Saint Mary’s University and Dalhousie University, the area is inhabited by an influx of students and more than 15,000 office workers ( pre- pandemic). It also boasts the most visited tourist sites in the province: the Halifax Waterfront and Halifax Citadel National Historic Site.
Filled with unique and vibrant attractions, most of which are locally owned, downtown brings life to our city’s main streets — stretching all the way to the north end and across the bridge to downtown Dartmouth. Together, this collective makes up the downtown core area, offering exciting eatery, touring and shopping experiences. It brings in tourists year after year, while keeping the interest of locals.
“From an economic standpoint, there is no question that just as Halifax is the heart of Nova
Scotia’s economic prosperity, downtown is the heart of Halifax’s economy,” says Paul Mackinnon, CEO of Downtown Halifax Business Commission.
The downtown core is key to the economic growth and prosperity of our city, with its undeniable appeal as a destination for people to visit, gather, shop, discover and therefore spend. With 12 Business Improvement Districts across Nova Scotia collectively representing more than 4,000 businesses, the downtown core is supporting small business through economic recovery.
“Small businesses truly are the backbone of our economy,” says Tracy Jackson, Executive Director of the North End Business Association. “Not only do they make up the lion’s share of employers in Nova Scotia, but they also provide innovation, inspire growth and keep money close to home in our neighbourhoods and communities.”
In continued support of small business and economic recovery efforts for all sectors, the area has recently been undergoing noteworthy transformations. It’s cultivating a diverse makeup of storefront offerings, while driving growth and prosperity with new and improved directions for expansion.
TRANSFORMING THE DOWNTOWN CORE
“The pandemic gave us, as a city, license to move things forward quicker and take a few more risks,” says Mackinnon. “We saw this from the municipal government with changes made to more pedestrianized streets, such as Argyle Street, Grafton Street and Bedford Row.”
“We also saw it in the provincial government making changes to laws surrounding takeout of liquor and allowing dogs on patios, which are changes that had been stalled for years.”
By allowing year-round patios, the city gave Haligonians the opportunity to experiment and see if they’re ready to embrace all-seasons outdoor dining. “The jury is still out on that!” says Mackinnon.
“The change in restrictions and allowing dogs on the patios this summer in places with a food licence improved our business,” says Ian Lawson, Brewer and Co- Owner of Brightwood Brewery.
Back in 2019, the brewery ended up in the doghouse due to an inspection warning after a complaint of dogs being allowed on premises. It spurred many members of the community, along with Lawson, to file a petition in hopes of changing
the regulation. Now, with the recent change and the opening
of the brewery’s large patio last year, Brightwood has officially become dog friendly like on many other patios.
“When it comes to our location, we want to make it as attractive as possible for people to visit and to create an additional inviting space to the downtown core,” says Lawson. “And by simply having more stores and locations to visit when going downtown and opening more patios, it benefits all kinds of bars, restaurants, shops and other businesses that are in the area.”
On top of waiving patio licence fees and permitting dogs on patios, the municipality recently made investments into a new Business Recovery parking program to bring shoppers to the main streets of downtown.
Moreover, many support programs, like the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, the Nova Scotia Small Business Impact Grants and Real Property Tax Rebate have already helped many small businesses weather the pandemic storm of lockdowns.
“We are encouraged by all of these efforts made to strengthen our economy and support small businesses, but the battle is not over. There is still work that needs to be done,” says Jackson, who is still concerned for new businesses that opened after March 2020. They remain unable to benefit from the federal programs or any continued financial supports into 2022.
DIVERSE STOREFRONTS IN THE WORKS
“Up through 2020, we always have had more businesses opening in downtown Halifax than closing,” says Mackinnon. “But there’s no question that over the past 10 years, what has disappeared from our downtown is traditional retail.”
The dwindling number of downtown retail options is due to the intense local competition from malls, big-box parks and, of course, the pandemic-induced surge in online shopping. Many vacant traditional retail spots have been replaced by food
and drink, personal services and more experiential retail offerings.
These substitutes have been able to generate business and make a living off the lively downtown foot traffic, until it was no more.