'Eyesore' scaffolding in place since 2023 hurting business at Halifax wine bar, says co-owner

Every time he has to walk under the scaffolding that has surrounded his downtown Halifax business since the summer of 2023, Christian Rankin feels more discouraged.

The structure that was meant to be temporary, he said, is making it difficult for people to see the Obladee wine bar through all the steel and wood in the way.

"It's an eyesore and people can't tell that we're open," Rankin said in an interview. "If people don't know you're open and they can't tell you're open from 50 feet away, it's bad."

The wine bar on the corner of Barrington and Sackville streets has taken a financial hit, Rankin explained, since the scaffolding was put up in July 2023 following an order issued by the Halifax Regional Municipality.

With concerns about the crumbling state of the building's facade, HRM ordered the property owner to fix it.

There are yellow caution signs hanging from the scaffolding that warn about the possibility of falling debris.

The municipality made another order in April 2024, but Rankin said nothing has been done and he is growing more and more frustrated.

"We've lost two patio seasons because of this and we're a couple of months away from losing another one," he said.

The space the scaffolding takes up makes it impossible to have the outdoor patio where it would normally be on Sackville Street, he said, which could seat about 20 people.

This is in spite of continuing to pay rent under a lease that provides access to the patio, he said.

Rankin said numerous requests to the property owner have not resulted in any action.

The Caryi Group, which owns the building along with a number of other commercial and residential properties in Atlantic Canada, has fallen into financial trouble. The group's principal, Steven Caryi, died in 2023.

His family is now trying to sell the building and others he left with mortgage debts estimated at about $47 million as of January, according to court documents.

His sister, Joanne Caryi, declined comment on the insolvency proceedings now before the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. She is identified as the executor of her brother's Canadian estate in court documents.

Bids can be made for the Caryi Group's properties as part of the court process. Those are being handled by the trustee Deloitte Restructuring.

It will then take bids back to court for approval, which could happen within the next couple of months.

But Rankin said waiting for a sale and then seeing what a new owner would do are things Obladee, which employs around 10 people and has been operating since 2010, should not have to wait for.

He's making one last-ditch effort for the municipality to do the work before June 21 to save this patio season amid a serious risk of going out of business.

"If the building owner, for whatever reason is not co-operating or can't co-operate, then the city has to step in and do what the building owner won't," Rankin said. "I call it doing their job."

A statement provided to CBC News by the Halifax Regional Municipality said its initial order was made as a safety measure after a passerby was injured by debris in June 2023.

It said the municipality's planning and development team maintains regular communication with the property owner and issued another order about a month ago requesting an update on a structural engineer's report that was previously mandated.

The statement said the scaffolding will remain in place to ensure safety and is directing any questions around the potential construction timeline back to the property owner.