Halifax real estate developer’s death leaves a trail of unfinished business

A contentious insolvency involving the heavily indebted estate of a deceased property developer from the Halifax area has put the future of some of the city’s prized heritage properties in doubt.

Five businesses connected to Steven M. (Steve) Caryi – who was 54 when he died in his Florida home on Christmas Day, 2023 – owe more than $47-million to a handful of lenders. And, despite a grinding housing shortage in the Nova Scotia capital, the caretakers of his business estate have been unable to find buyers for several commercial properties in various stages of residential redevelopment.