Historic Halifax pub applauds decision to uphold blasting regulations near heritage building

The owner of a Halifax heritage property says she's relieved a nearby development must follow stricter conditions after she says a construction blast damaged the building and made patrons worry they were being "bombed."

Donna Alsop and her family have run the Henry House Restaurant and Pub in downtown Halifax for more than 20 years. The granite house was built around 1834, and has municipal, provincial, and federal heritage status.

"I think anyone who knows the Henry House should be delighted that the building is no longer going to be blasted to the point that chunks of it fall off into the driveway," Alsop said in an interview Thursday.

Last April, Atlantic Road Construction & Paving Ltd. blasted through rock for a new apartment development from Universal Realty at 1190 Barrington Street, about 70 metres away from the Henry House.

According to a report from Halifax municipal staff, the pub's owner reported damage and the city halted blasting. 

After the blast, Alsop said she picked up pieces of granite that had fallen from the building. New cracks appeared in the walls and mortar was shaken from between the exterior stones. 

"We had an employee who's from the Ukraine, and she ran out of the building with PTSD, thinking that she was being bombed somehow. We had other staff who felt the building had been hit by a vehicle," said Alsop.

She said the "unbelievably large blast" happened with no notice, even though the company is required by law to warn neighbours.

In November 2024, Halifax issued the company a new permit with requirements that follow Swiss standards for blasting near heritage buildings. 

Besides reducing blast vibrations, the permit said the company must monitor impacts to Henry House using seismographs, monitor crack widths in the building, and secure exterior areas — like the chimney — where debris could fall.

Atlantic Road Construction appealed that permit. Company officials said they were ready to comply with most of the new requirements, but asked Halifax's appeals standing committee to lift the items relating to Henry House because they couldn't get inside.

Kobe Shannon of Atlantic Road Construction said their engineering consultant had one phone call with Alsop in November, and got a "hard no" about entering the building.

Company says they didn't want to 'harass' owner for building entry

"We didn't get any further than that due to not wanting to harass [Henry House]," Shannon told the committee Thursday.

In that one phone call, Alsop said the consultant didn't answer her questions about what would be done for the new permit, and he never called back. She also said the consultant never sent anything via email, which she would prefer to avoid a "he-said, she-said" situation.

"There's a lot of history in this little corner of Halifax. And I guess someone saying that I'm uncooperative — I'm willing to take that insult if it means saving the building," Alsop said.

Since the blasting permit was revoked last April, Shannon said his company has been using the slower method of drilling to break through rock. He said they have spent an extra $650,000 to date on rock breaking equipment as well as legal and consulting fees they didn't expect.

But the committee accepted a staff recommendation to deny the appeal.

Ashley Blissett, Halifax's manager of development engineering, said staff believe waiving the Henry House criteria in the permit would bring risks to the building itself, and "potential hazard to the occupants, visitors, and general public passing by the Henry House during blasting."

The building was home to William Henry, a Father of Confederation who wrote the British North America Act. Alsop said heritage preservation is especially important at a time when the president of the United States is making comments about Canada becoming the 51st state.

"It's not just an old house that's taking a beating. It's a special old house because someone [here] really produced the paper that made Canada a country," said Alsop.

"In the moment that we're living in today ... anything that contributed to Canada being a country is an important point."

Committee member Coun. Kathryn Morse said she feels they made a fair decision by protecting a heritage resource, while allowing the company to continue breaking rock as they have been for nearly a year.

Morse said it's understandable the Henry House owners appear to have lost faith in the construction company.

"I think they feel that it was a bit of a David and Goliath fight for them, and so the appeals committee was deciding in favour of David," Morse said after the meeting.

Halifax staff said while the current blasting bylaw doesn't have protections for heritage buildings, they do consider tighter regulations on a case-by-case basis.

Morse said the case has highlighted a wider need to change the city's bylaws so blasting regulations are consistent in heritage districts around Halifax. Morse said she and Coun. Nancy Hartling will be exploring how to take that step.