2010 05 11
From April 9-26, 2010, the Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) conducted its bi-annual membership survey through local market research agency, Thinkwell Research. DHBC’s membership consists of 1,800 landlords, businesses and retailers, with 20,000 employees. Results found that one out of three respondents regarded a new convention centre, from a list of six priorities, as the top priority for Downtown Halifax.
“A new convention centre has been on the radar of the Nova Scotian business community for a long time,” said Paul MacKinnon, DHBC Executive Director. “I’ve been involved in Downtown advocacy issues for 14 years, and in that time, a new convention centre has always been seen as the top piece of needed infrastructure.”
The questionnaire asked respondents: “If HRM were to commit to more funds to the Downtown, what should be their top priority?”HRM was referred to specifically, rather than a more broad definition of the three levels of government because most direct infrastructure spending in the Downtown comes from, or is driven from, the municipal level. Of six possible choices, a new convention centre was the top choice of one out of every three respondents, and the most popular choice. The breakdown is as follows:
New convention centre................................................. 31%
Streetscaping on BarringtonStreet.............................. 25%
Incentives for residential development......................... 15%
Incentives for restoration of heritage buildings............. 11%
New performing arts centre......................................... 11%
Streetscaping on Argyle Street...................................... 2%
Don’t know...................................................................... 2%
None…………………………………………………………2%
(Margin of error: +/- 4.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.)
Downtown Halifaxis the economic engine for the capital city and HRM is the economic engine for the province. Government must make the necessary investments in Downtown Halifax to keep the “engine” running smoothly. The new convention centre will have tangible benefits to the Halifaxbusiness economy, as well as positive spin-off benefits across Nova Scotia.
Beyond the tangible economic benefits of a new convention centre, government now has the opportunity to demonstrate that it believes in a strong central core, in the Downtown of Nova Scotia’s capital city. DHBC is urging the government to keep this process moving along in a timely manner so that funding for the project will be confirmed this summer or fall.