Halifax daycare, community centre search for new homes as church hall set for demolition

Tenants of a church in Halifax's north end — including a local day care — are scrambling to find new locations before the building they lease on the property is demolished this summer.

The North End Community Daycare Centre has called the St. Mark's Community Centre home since it was rebuilt in the 1970s after being destroyed in a fire.

But it now faces an uncertain future, according to the daycare's executive director.

"We have nothing firmed up on that at this point," said Karen Wright.

The daycare, which Wright said serves about 65 families in the community, was set to relocate to St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay Elementary. The building housing that school was demolished in 2022, but it's dealing with a delay in construction for the new building. It's now slated to open in September 2025.

That's left the daycare facing 14 months with nowhere to operate, since the demolition of St. Mark's centre is scheduled for late July, Wright said.

It comes as the province deals with an ongoing shortage in child-care spaces and staff. While government-funded fee reductions have begun to bring down the cost of licensed spaces, many working in the sector say demand has increased and facilities are struggling to manage ever-growing waitlists.

The centre is in talks with the provincial Education Department and the Halifax Regional Municipality on possible options, she added, including using portables while the new school is built.

Another option involves leasing a temporary location, but finding a suitable space for a licensed daycare centre poses challenges. Under the Early Learning and Child Care Act, child-care facilities are required to provide an outdoor space for children to play in and separate washrooms for children and staff, among other requirements.

Daphne Beeler, warden of St. Mark's parish, said in an interview the demolition follows the sale of the church property in 2023.

"It had become clear that we could no longer maintain our two buildings with the resources available [with] a shrinking congregation," the church said in a letter to the community.

The tenants of the hall were informed of the upcoming demolition in January. Earlier this month, the church held a public meeting to inform the community about the sale and to answer any questions.

The new owner is Cosmos Properties, she said, which will be restoring the church and doing some renovations. The sale agreement also states that the church's hall and playground will be torn down and "an apartment building will be built on that part of the property," according to the letter from the church.

Beeler said she had "mixed feelings" about the sale, but it has been comforting to know the new owners will be working to maintain the church's history.