The World Trade and Convention Centre (WTCC) was a convention centre and office complex in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
, Canada, adjacent to the
Scotiabank Centre
Scotiabank Centre (formerly known as Halifax Metro Centre) is the largest multi-purpose facility in Atlantic Canada, located in the heart of downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The main entrances to the building are located on Brunswick Str ...
. The facility had of meeting space and a 20,000 square foot ballroom. It was replaced by the larger
Halifax Convention Centre
The Halifax Convention Centre is the main conference centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It opened on December 15, 2017 in Downtown Halifax, replacing the older World Trade and Convention Centre.
The Halifax Convention Centre is part of the $ ...
in 2017, and the building was sold to a private developer.
History
The WTCC was championed by then-Premier
John Buchanan who boasted to reporters in 1981 that the new facility would serve as a scaled-down version of the famous
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, eventually becoming the economic and business capital of
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
. An opening ceremony was held on 24 February 1985, for 1,200 invited guests.
Buchanan stated at the time that the centre would generate revenue in "the near future", but the WTCC and Trade Centre Limited have routinely operated at a deficit over the years.
[
The convention centre operator has stated that the current facility is insufficiently sized to accommodate demand for larger scale conventions, citing the lack of a dedicated exhibition room and the larger size of comparable facilities elsewhere in the country. In 2008, Trade Centre Limited and the provincial ]Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
The Department of Public Works of the Government of Nova Scotia is responsible for transportation, communications, construction, property, and accommodation of government departments and agencies in the province.
Kim Masland is its current minis ...
issued an expression of interest for an expanded facility. As a result, TCL is working with a private developer, Rank Inc., to develop a new convention facility.
The Halifax Convention Centre
The Halifax Convention Centre is the main conference centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It opened on December 15, 2017 in Downtown Halifax, replacing the older World Trade and Convention Centre.
The Halifax Convention Centre is part of the $ ...
is located within the nearby Nova Centre
Nova Centre is a mixed-use commercial development under construction in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It comprises a hotel tower, two office towers, the new Halifax Convention Centre, retail space, and Grafton Place, a public pedestrian ...
, which opened in 2017.
In March 2016 the province announced the signing of a 25-year agreement with the developers of the Nova Centre. The WTCC will hence be offered up for sale to private interests for $13.5 million.
The Halifax Regional Municipality declined to purchase the complex from the province. In August 2016, it was announced that the province would sell the building to Halifax developer George Armoyan for $13.5 million.
With funding from the federal, provincial, and city governments, the building is being redeveloped to house a cultural centre with a 1,800-seat performance hall, a cinema, dance studios, media production studios, and office space for non-profit cultural groups. The exterior was to be renovated to house new shops and restaurants, intended to enliven this part of Argyle Street, but developer Armco instead signed a 10-year lease with the federal government. The ground-level commercial spaces will house Service Canada
Service Canada is the program operated by Employment and Social Development Canada to serve as a single-point of access for the Government of Canada's largest and most heavily used programs, such as the Social Insurance Number, the Employment ...
.
Characteristics
The convention centre had of meeting space and a 20,000 square foot ballroom.
Its connection to the Downtown Halifax Link
The Downtown Halifax Link system is a network of climate-controlled pedways (pedestrian tunnels and skywalks) connecting various office buildings, hotels, parkades, and entertainment venues around downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is simila ...
connected it to over 1,000 four-diamond guest rooms (within the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, the Delta Barrington, Prince George Hotel, the Delta Halifax) with an additional 1,400 hotel rooms in the greater city core, and shopping, dining and entertainment options.
The WTCC was the premier conference facility in the region during its years of operation. The facility was run by Trade Centre Limited
Trade Centre Limited (TCL) was a Crown corporation of the Government of Nova Scotia, Canada. Its stated mission was to "create economic and community benefits by bringing people together in Halifax and Nova Scotia". It operated the largest conven ...
, a provincial Crown corporation
A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...
, and owned by the Province of Nova Scotia.
The convention centre was home to the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame and was located below an office tower housing several provincial departments and Crown corporations, including Nova Scotia Business Inc.
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 44, 38, 54.09, N, 63, 34, 33.41, W, region:CA, display=title
1984 establishments in Nova Scotia
Buildings and structures in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Convention centres in Canada
World Trade Centers
Tourist attractions in Halifax County, Nova Scotia
Event venues established in 1984
2017 disestablishments in Nova Scotia