Like many Haligonians, we were shocked to hear about an HRM staff proposal to tear down the historic Halifax Forum. The Forum, after all, is much more than a building or a hockey arena. It is a vital part of Halifax’s north end, the city’s history and is worth preserving.

Along with being one of the country’s oldest arenas (it was built in 1927) and a designated heritage building, the Halifax Forum belongs to the people of Halifax, to the generations of families who have shared memories through sporting and cultural events of every description.

We have a number of questions about a proposal that HRM join forces with CFB Halifax to build a $45-million, four-pad arena at Windsor Park. Is this a P3 (Public Private Partnership) and if it is, what does this mean for HRM taxpayers? We all know that P3 schools in this province, for instance, were a colossal rip off for taxpayers and a profit-making bonanza for the private “partners.”