General Updates and News

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by someone123

Does anyone have any updates on the Grafton lot by Maxwell's Plum? Is it in some developer's queue?

In a story from all Nova Scotia, apparently Dexel wants to use the space as a temporary residence for workers on the SGW development. Just across the street of the entertainment district. Earn on Spring and fling on Grafton.

[terrynorthend]

The Province has a news release today (probably from the recent omnibus bill) that makes all of HRM an 'interim planning area'
The gist of it seems to be to immediately and temporarily enact all of the positive regional plan clauses that were waylayed when the Province rejected HRMs plan earlier this year. Things like allowing residential uses on most land use zones, allowing prefab modular construction, no parking minimums, etc.
They're also allowing some aspects of the suburban plan already in planning to proceed to development agreements. There is a list of 9 areas.
Ones that jumped out were Downsview mall, Tacoma Drive, Woodlawn Plaza, Baker Drive, Melville Heights, Dunbrack/Lacewook, Mill Cove.

[connect2source]

Delta Hotels Marriott signage is up on the former Hotel Halifax / Delta Halifax / Chateau Halifax.

[teddifax]

This is amazing, that hotel has gone full circle back to Delta.... They have been working on the hotel for a while, it will be interesting to see just what was one.
I wonder what is happening to the old Delta Barrington..??

[Summerville]

I am willing to guess that Armour Group is waiting for the current lease to expire. They own the building, but aren’t the operator of the hotel.

The operator of the newly named Delta was the same one as the Barrington Inn. I’m not sure if the Delta Halifax is under new ownership.

[Keith P.]

I haven't been inside the Delta Barrington in years. I remember hearing from business colleagues that stayed there back decades ago that it was nice enough but that it was limited in amenities, not surprising because it was pretty small. I don't know how often it has undergone updating. It seems a relic of 1970s Halifax when it was all about making things look Victorian.

[Colin May]

As the song says :
'Fings ain't what they used to be'....
from October 12 2025

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business...t-operate-small-landlords-ponder-future/

" Issmat Al-Akhali had plans to expand his Halifax student residence business to other locations in Canada given that his Granville Hall residence had a wait-list teeming with students.

He was on track to add another residence in the Nova Scotia capital and develop one near the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. His long-term goal was to expand outside of Atlantic Canada.

But he put those plans on hold when demand dissipated in 2024 after the federal government announced plans to reduce foreign student permits by 35 per cent, in part to help address Canada’s unrelenting demand for housing.

Today, there are no students on the Granville Hall wait-list, and for the first time in years, Mr. Al-Akhali has an empty room.

“If there is no demand, we can’t operate,” he said. “There were big plans to build new residences in Halifax. All of that is on hold.”

Mr. Al-Akhali is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of investors across the country who got into student housing as colleges and universities ramped up their enrolment of foreign students.

Investors of all sizes have poured millions of dollars into acquiring and developing privately owned student housing, including single-family homes, condos, duplexes and student residences.

The doubling of international students over the past decade put immense pressure on communities and contributed to the rise in rents across the country. Many students paid more than the market rate for a room, and some lived in rooming houses and apartments that were overcrowded and may have had bug and mice infestations.

As landlords launch into a second school year under the new federal caps, the case for investing in student housing isn’t as obvious as it once was. Individual investors with properties off campus are bearing the brunt of the declining foreign student population, while larger investors with newer student residences on or near campus say they have seen little change in demand.

The aftershocks can be clearly seen in parts of Atlantic Canada and Ontario where foreign students account for a larger share of the student population compared to the rest of the country. "

" Halifax was under particular stress because it is home to six university campuses: Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, University of King’s College and Sainte-Anne University. It is also home to the Nova Scotia Community College and the Atlantic School of Theology.

He had wanted to bring a privately-owned student residence to the area that would provide a similar on-campus experience. After Granville Hall opened in 2016, it was quickly inundated with the overflow from universities.

“When we saw that we have wait lists of over 100 people every year, we started looking for other properties to expand into,” Mr. Al-Akhali said. “Sure enough, that wait list disappeared. So now everything is on hold to see where things will settle. "

[JET]

Originally Posted by Colin May

As the song says :
'Fings ain't what they used to be'....
from October 12 2025

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business...t-operate-small-landlords-ponder-future/

" Issmat Al-Akhali had plans to expand his Halifax student residence business to other locations in Canada given that his Granville Hall residence had a wait-list teeming with students.

He was on track to add another residence in the Nova Scotia capital and develop one near the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. His long-term goal was to expand outside of Atlantic Canada.

But he put those plans on hold when demand dissipated in 2024 after the federal government announced plans to reduce foreign student permits by 35 per cent, in part to help address Canada’s unrelenting demand for housing.

Today, there are no students on the Granville Hall wait-list, and for the first time in years, Mr. Al-Akhali has an empty room.

“If there is no demand, we can’t operate,” he said. “There were big plans to build new residences in Halifax. All of that is on hold.”

Mr. Al-Akhali is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of investors across the country who got into student housing as colleges and universities ramped up their enrolment of foreign students.

Investors of all sizes have poured millions of dollars into acquiring and developing privately owned student housing, including single-family homes, condos, duplexes and student residences.

The doubling of international students over the past decade put immense pressure on communities and contributed to the rise in rents across the country. Many students paid more than the market rate for a room, and some lived in rooming houses and apartments that were overcrowded and may have had bug and mice infestations.

As landlords launch into a second school year under the new federal caps, the case for investing in student housing isn’t as obvious as it once was. Individual investors with properties off campus are bearing the brunt of the declining foreign student population, while larger investors with newer student residences on or near campus say they have seen little change in demand.

The aftershocks can be clearly seen in parts of Atlantic Canada and Ontario where foreign students account for a larger share of the student population compared to the rest of the country. "

" Halifax was under particular stress because it is home to six university campuses: Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s, Mount Saint Vincent University, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, University of King’s College and Sainte-Anne University. It is also home to the Nova Scotia Community College and the Atlantic School of Theology.

He had wanted to bring a privately-owned student residence to the area that would provide a similar on-campus experience. After Granville Hall opened in 2016, it was quickly inundated with the overflow from universities.

“When we saw that we have wait lists of over 100 people every year, we started looking for other properties to expand into,” Mr. Al-Akhali said. “Sure enough, that wait list disappeared. So now everything is on hold to see where things will settle. "

I wonder how occupancy is with the NSCC residences that were built?

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by JET

I wonder how occupancy is with the NSCC residences that were built?

There was an AllNS story yesterday about how NSCC managed to mostly offset a dip in international enrolment by boosting local enrolment. They turned a decline of something like 1100 students into a decline of only 300 students. That being said, I have no idea what the demand for student housing is among local students versus international students.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

There was an AllNS story yesterday about how NSCC managed to mostly offset a dip in international enrolment by boosting local enrolment. They turned a decline of something like 1100 students into a decline of only 300 students. That being said, I have no idea what the demand for student housing is among local students versus international students.

Gee… provide education for more locals rather than educating students from other countries… who’d have thunk it? Almost seems like a plan for a better future for Canada, if I didn’t know any better….

[kzt79]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Gee… provide education for more locals rather than educating students from other countries… who’d have thunk it? Almost seems like a plan for a better future for Canada, if I didn’t know any better….

I'm sure some enlightened minds are working hard to correct this error.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Gee… provide education for more locals rather than educating students from other countries… who’d have thunk it? Almost seems like a plan for a better future for Canada, if I didn’t know any better….

It's an interesting issue. In principle, having people pay a lot of money to study in Canada is very positive and a great "export". There's nothing wrong with 50,000 international students going to Halifax to study assuming the capacity is there for true education, housing, etc. In practice, it is very complex with so many different interests and constraints and there can easily be corruption and negative consequences for Canadians.

I tend to think it was mostly positive and reasonable until things went off the rails a few years ago and places like CBU were bringing in huge numbers of new students. Anecdotally I would say around here at least the immigration and student bar seemed to have qualitatively shifted a few years ago. Traditionally, immigrants to Canada used social services less than the Canadian-born population and often ended up as highly educated high earners with good English skills. Now it feels like more of a mixed bag and I am very skeptical that all of the lower end colleges have been teaching people useful skills that will cause them to thrive long term.

It's one of the biggest federal policy missteps in a long time. There is an enduring "hangover" with housing problems, social problems, lower public trust (lurching us somewhat toward where the US is), and lower desire for immigration. We should be increasing immigration now to take advantage of xenophobia in the US; many great students and workers are being turned away there or simply harassed to the point where they will look elsewhere.

[kzt79]

Originally Posted by someone123

It's an interesting issue. In principle, having people pay a lot of money to study in Canada is very positive and a great "export". There's nothing wrong with 50,000 international students going to Halifax to study assuming the capacity is there for true education, housing, etc. In practice, it is very complex with so many different interests and constraints and there can easily be corruption and negative consequences for Canadians.

I tend to think it was mostly positive and reasonable until things went off the rails a few years ago and places like CBU were bringing in huge numbers of new students. Anecdotally I would say around here at least the immigration and student bar seemed to have qualitatively shifted a few years ago. Traditionally, immigrants to Canada used social services less than the Canadian-born population and often ended up as highly educated high earners with good English skills. Now it feels like more of a mixed bag and I am very skeptical that all of the lower end colleges have been teaching people useful skills that will cause them to thrive long term.

It's one of the biggest federal policy missteps in a long time. There is an enduring "hangover" with housing problems, social problems, lower public trust (lurching us somewhat toward where the US is), and lower desire for immigration. We should be increasing immigration now to take advantage of xenophobia in the US; many great students and workers are being turned away there or simply harassed to the point where they will look elsewhere.

Let's be honest, the MESS we have seen in recent years is absolutely rife with corruption all around. The diploma mills, the slumlords jamming 10+ to a unit meant for one family etc. etc. This has dearly cost all of us, for the reasons you outline and more. And yes many of the newcomers are themselves victims - no one dreams of coming to Canada to live on a mat on the floor working 3 minimum wage jobs while chasing a FAKE "diploma" that is worthless anyway. A net negative to our country and everyone in it no matter how they try to spin it.

Canada had a balanced and widely respected immigration system not too many years ago. I'm afraid it's going to take a very long time to undo the damage. It's truly remarkable how deliberate policy decisions have caused a material decrease in our quality of life but up until recently you weren't even allowed any sort of discussion around this issue bc "racism" LOL.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kzt79

Canada had a balanced and widely respected immigration system not too many years ago. I'm afraid it's going to take a very long time to undo the damage. It's truly remarkable how deliberate policy decisions have caused a material decrease in our quality of life but up until recently you weren't even allowed any sort of discussion around this issue bc "racism" LOL.

It is a corrupt process that creates "Trumpism" as people lose trust in institutions and many are left out in the cold while they are told everything is fine (rent went up 50%? Too bad, stop buying avocado toast). Meanwhile, others cash in bigtime.

I feel like the rot is never truly exposed in Canada either. We had the foreign real estate bubble of the 2010's with bags of cash from China and nothing really came of it. Same with fake degrees in the 2020's. The hole eventually gets plugged or the schemes fizzle but where's the downside for the people who profited?

[Colin May]

How times have changed.
My immigrant experience consisted of a clerk in a Canadian immigration office in UK telling me ...'We don't need people like you'.
A few months later I landed in Montreal en route to Halifax.
My internationally recognized qualifications had some years earlier caused many Canadians to urge me to emigrate because '...your qualifications and experience will cause you to receive many job offers'.

[kzt79]

Originally Posted by someone123

It is a corrupt process that creates "Trumpism" as people lose trust in institutions and many are left out in the cold while they are told everything is fine (rent went up 50%? Too bad, stop buying avocado toast). Meanwhile, others cash in bigtime.

I feel like the rot is never truly exposed in Canada either. We had the foreign real estate bubble of the 2010's with bags of cash from China and nothing really came of it. Same with fake degrees in the 2020's. The hole eventually gets plugged or the schemes fizzle but where's the downside for the people who profited?

So true. Are we somehow fundamentally more passive or otherwise accepting than other populations? Just look at how until the past year or so any discussion at all around immigration was verboten... and it mostly worked! People KNOW and can SEE firsthand meaningful declines in their living standard yet continue to vote for and support the same destructive policies that are harming them. Some kind of society-level Stockholm syndrome?!

[someone123]

It is a bit off topic so I will put my speculation in a spoiler for those who are interested:

I think there is a cultural component but the age component is the biggest factor. The median voter is a bit older than the median citizen, maybe 50+, and in Atlantic Canada the largest voter demographic is around 60 years old. This demographic does well with rising real estate costs, cares less about apartment rentals, prefers cheap to hire labour vs. high wages, and won't be paying off new public debt.

In the 2010's I think younger demographics still weren't voting that much on pocketbook issues but maybe it's shifting now. And the "young" demographic that is doing poorly keeps going up in age. It's now more like under-40's or under-50's who are struggling.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by someone123

It is a bit off topic so I will put my speculation in a spoiler for those who are interested:

I think there is a cultural component but the age component is the biggest factor. The median voter is a bit older than the median citizen, maybe 50+, and in Atlantic Canada the largest voter demographic is around 60 years old. This demographic does well with rising real estate costs, cares less about apartment rentals, prefers cheap to hire labour vs. high wages, and won't be paying off new public debt.

In the 2010's I think younger demographics still weren't voting that much on pocketbook issues but maybe it's shifting now. And the "young" demographic that is doing poorly keeps going up in age. It's now more like under-40's or under-50's who are struggling.

Honestly I would tend to agree. My wife and I have said many times in the last 5 years that we are glad that we bought our home and cottage when we did, because we would not be able to afford them now.

And once people hit 50s they start thinking proximity to retirement, in which we have all been told for many decades that we should expect our homes to increase in value and that can be a source of either retirement income via reverse mortgage or sell it and downsize. But the reality of what that means is that a system that increases home values at a rate exceeding wage growth prices the next generation out, and so here we are. People in positions of power, by virtue of age and experience, are literally invested in seeing housing prices grow, with under 40s are left feeling frustrated and unheard (and hence the surprising result of having a strong pro Trump lean in the last election). Hard to figure out a clean route out of the problem, but it does need a solution. I certainly struggle to envision how my son will be able to own a home at the same age that I did!

[OldDartmouthMark]

Supply and demand?

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by someone123

It's an interesting issue. In principle, having people pay a lot of money to study in Canada is very positive and a great "export". There's nothing wrong with 50,000 international students going to Halifax to study assuming the capacity is there for true education, housing, etc. In practice, it is very complex with so many different interests and constraints and there can easily be corruption and negative consequences for Canadians.

I tend to think it was mostly positive and reasonable until things went off the rails a few years ago and places like CBU were bringing in huge numbers of new students. Anecdotally I would say around here at least the immigration and student bar seemed to have qualitatively shifted a few years ago. Traditionally, immigrants to Canada used social services less than the Canadian-born population and often ended up as highly educated high earners with good English skills. Now it feels like more of a mixed bag and I am very skeptical that all of the lower end colleges have been teaching people useful skills that will cause them to thrive long term.

It's one of the biggest federal policy missteps in a long time. There is an enduring "hangover" with housing problems, social problems, lower public trust (lurching us somewhat toward where the US is), and lower desire for immigration. We should be increasing immigration now to take advantage of xenophobia in the US; many great students and workers are being turned away there or simply harassed to the point where they will look elsewhere.

Definitely two distinct issues. That of diploma mills is an issue unto itself, whether we are talking about foreign or domestic students. If however we stick to legit educational institutions, then there is massive benefit to bringing foreign students here (at least in a time/place where there is available housing). There is ample evidence of how likely educated immigrants are to open new businesses, create innovations, and in fact create rather than take jobs. We see loads of evidence for that in Halifax! I would argue that without foreign students coming here to study and then staying on, that many of our high value innovative industries would either suffer for lack of hiring or not exist at all. There is also economic benefit to frankly draining other countries brains, in which they paid the expense of educating these students for 12+ years and now we benefit.

PS: I do remember how awkward I felt when I immigrated to the US, at the height of a presidential election cycle, and was met with endless advertising etc about how foreigners were coming in to take jobs from tax paying Americans. Ended up in discussions about how Canada paid for 22 years of my education, and now the US was benefitting and collecting taxes of my resulting salary. But that was a hard sell during an election period!