Vacant St. Patrick's-Alexandra School in Halifax being demolished

Haley Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 11, 2025 1:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 11

A long-vacant erstwhile Halifax schoolhouse successful the city's northbound extremity is being demolished aft years of information complaints from neighbours and firefighters.

Crews were seen tearing down the St. Patrick's-Alexandra building, which sits betwixt Maitland and Brunswick streets, connected Thursday and Friday. 

The national for astir Halifax vocation firefighters said they welcomed the demolition aft "consistently" raising concerns astir the dangers of leaving derelict sites similar St. Pat's-Alexandra unsecured, allowing radical to interruption in.

"Our members responded to aggregate fires astatine the vacant structure, each of which presented important hazards to occurrence fighters and the public," said a connection from the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters. 

Developer Joe Metlege, president of Jono Developments which owns the site, said Friday helium had nary remark astir the demolition oregon whether determination were immoderate updates astir aboriginal construction.

A demolition licence was issued for the tract successful mid-April.

The gathering has been vacant since the Halifax determination schoolhouse committee closed it successful 2011.

Several assemblage groups had hoped to crook the tract into affordable lodging and a assemblage hub, but aft ineligible disputes, the Halifax municipality yet sold the spot to Jono in 2020.

Like the adjacent erstwhile Bloomfield schoolhouse site, the St. Pat's-Alexandra spot is taxable to a buyback statement — the municipality tin repurchase the spot if operation hasn't begun by a specified date.

Jono argued successful Nova Scotia Supreme Court successful 2024 that it fulfilled the statement by pouring footings and foundations of an accessory operation connected the property. Halifax Regional Municipality disagreed that this met the conditions of the agreement, and the substance had not moved up arsenic of April.

CBC has asked HRM whether determination has been immoderate update connected the tribunal case.