Construction in downtown Halifax is nothing new, but the work being done on a federal building on Hollis Street is raising safety concerns among pedestrians.
The Ralston building, home to the Canada Revenue Agency, has been fitted with steel bars since 2007 due to structural problems. The bars are intended to hold deteriorating stones in place.
“If you got to, you know, put an eyesore up to protect people, maybe you should just fix the problem instead,” says Halifax resident Joey Ferrusi.
Repairs to the building have already cost taxpayers more than $3 million and that amount could continue to rise are more repairs are needed.
“As you can see, the building is still falling apart,” says Kevin Lacey, Atlantic director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “It’s costing taxpayers more and more money as long as this goes on and it’s time for the government to do something once and for all.”
In an email to CTV News in January, the Department of Public Works and Government Services said a decision would be made this year on the future of the building but, so far, there have been no updates.
The department couldn’t confirm whether neighbouring construction has impacted the building, but structural engineer Jane Thorburn says there is cause for concern anytime a construction site pops up.
“If you’re excavating near an existing foundation, you don’t want to undermine the foundation of that existing building,” says Thorburn.
People who live and work near the Ralston building say the steel bars and ongoing construction isn’t helping tourism along the waterfront.
“It’s definitely not a pretty face to walk into, especially for the cruise ships starting to come in,” says Ferrusi.
