The Halifax Wanderers are proposing a $100M privately financed stadium and training complex on municipal land, trading public capital requirements for a pair of proposed 99-year leases.

The Canadian Premier League club wants to spend $70M on a permanent 10,500-seat stadium at Wanderers Grounds, 5819 Sackville St. in downtown Halifax, replacing the temporary venue it has occupied since 2019. The remaining $30M would fund a training and community sports complex at Maybank Field in Dartmouth.

Halifax Regional Municipality would retain ownership of the land while the Wanderers finance construction and assume operating risk.

The downtown stadium would include covered seating, an artificial-turf field, permanent concert stage and a 650-space underground parking garage intended in part to serve the neighbouring QEII Health Sciences Centre. Capacity could increase to 17,500 for concerts.

“We’ve found a way to reduce the burden on taxpayers and bring private investment to help make these infrastructure projects a reality,” Wanderers founder and managing partner Derek Martin said.

Martin founded Sports & Entertainment Atlantic, the Halifax company behind the Wanderers. The municipality previously pursued a publicly owned permanent stadium model, but that proposal did not advance.

Regional council has directed staff to examine the new proposal.