If you were dreaming of visiting a replica of the Titanic on the Halifax waterfront, it appears the concept won’t set sail.
A design image that was circulating last week is real, but it is being pitched to be built in Niagara Falls – not Halifax or Dartmouth.
The story blew up when Halifax businessman Dave Squires posted the design on LinkedIn. Media in Halifax ran with the idea, and Squires accepted interview requests to talk about the proposed plan.
It was staged as a $300-million dollar project, that didn’t require government money. It would feature 150 rooms and other tourist attractions.
The concept created a buzz on social media with many people intrigued by the idea and some who were flat out appalled due to the loss of life when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
According to a new report on Saltwire, Squires is believed to have acquired the renderings after they were sent to him by Ontario-based developer Zoran Cocov. However, the hotel was never planned or pitched to be built in Halifax.
The Coast was first to raise red flags about the idea and its origins.
Our newsroom contacted Halifax Mayor Mike Savage last week about the Titanic Hotel, but he declined to comment because the city was not presented with a formal proposal.
About 150 victims from the tragic sinking in 1912 are buried in three Halifax cemeteries.
