[ILoveHalifax]

Scotia Square was not a failure at the time it was built. It was full all the time, had a major department store and a supermarket as well as 2 levels of stores, mall jammed pack most of the time, like Eaton Center in Toronto without the atrium.
So the real problem has been the lack of new construction in downtown Halifax for all these decades, with a lack of effort to maintain the center of the city.