In a 10-3 vote, city council has endorsed a controversial plan aimed at enhancing preservation of cultural heritage.
Approval came Monday after several delegates urged council, meeting as committee of the whole, to reject the “flawed” plan. Several councillors who ultimately voted in favour of it acknowledged those flaws.
“At some point we have to move forward with an action plan, get moving on these items in the 2021 year and then start budgeting in 2022 for a lot of additional work that needs to be done,” commented Coun. Leanne Caron. “This is a significant body of work. It’s been years in the making .… It’s time to get off the pot on this case and move forward.”
“We have to start somewhere,” added Coun. Cathy Downer.
The action plan lays out a number of ways the city can work to enhance preservation of cultural heritage assets and features in the city, as well as promote them. Those initiatives are to be incorporated in staff work plans and brought back to council for individual approval if they call for policy changes or budgetary commitments.
The document also includes an inventory of areas of significance in the city, known as cultural heritage landscapes (CHL). How priorities were determined is the subject of many of the objections, in addition to the exclusion of areas of Indigenous cultural heritage significance.
Part of the committee-approved motion calls for Indigenous CHLs to be considered as part of a future update to the plan.
Joining Mayor Cam Guthrie in voting to approve the plan were councillors Downer, Dominique O’Rourke, Rodrigo Goller, Phil Allt, Caron, Mark MacKinnon, Mike Salisbury, James Gordon and June Hofland.
The committee’s endorsement heads to council later this month for formal consideration and potential ratification.
Heritage Guelph (HG) unanimously rejected the plan last month, calling for major overhaul of the document and the prioritization of CHLs, as well as the inclusion of Indigenous CHLs.
“We were shocked to discover that the factor used to prioritize cultural landscapes (for consideration of additional protections) was risk,” Heritage Guelph chair P. Brian Skerrett told the committee, pointing out the value to the community, significance to the city, age of neighbourhood and history of landscapes weren’t considered in setting priorities.
“So it’s not a surprise that important heritage landscapes were not highly prioritized,” Skerrett continued, renewing Heritage Guelph's call for Old Downtown and Catholic Hill to be listed on the city’s heritage registry. “I think that’s the least we can do for the two landscapes that are on the front cover of the action plan.”
“Public opinion must be respected,” Susan Ratcliffe told the committee, joining others in opposition of the plan. “Let’s do it, but let's do it right.”
There are already policies in place that provide protection of heritage features on Catholic Hill and Old Downtown, staff explained.
However, Skerrett countered, those protections haven’t prevented staff from recommending approvals in the past that would be detrimental to heritage preservation efforts. Ratcliffe noted Old Downtown is under threat due to the Metrolinx plan for a high-speed rail corridor and the former Guelph Reformatory lands would be impacted by plans to widen York Road.
Bruce Weaver stressed the importance of including Indigenous cultural heritage landscapes.
“I’m concerned that if there’s not a greater priority placed on the engagement with the Indigenous community that the relationships that have already been built … with us will wither,” he said. “I also worry about the corporate memory of what was involved in building that relationship will be lost.”
He hopes the city builds on relationships that led to the creation of a Sacred Fire space in Royal City Park in 2019.
To do so, he suggested, might inspire more Indigenous people in the city to become involved. Weaver also hopes the engagement efforts focus on more than seeking approval from nearby reserves and noted the potential for disagreement between elected chiefs and heredity chiefs.
“I urge you to think and work locally with our community,” he said. “While it is true that colonization and loss of culture has created strife in Indigenous communities, it does not mean that we are unable to engage in discussions as individuals, if not as organizations that you would recognize as being organized.”
In addition to endorsing the action plan document, the committee-approved motion would see the launch of a study for Ward West – the western portion of The Ward – that could recommend it be designated as a cultural heritage district.
“The Ward West neighbourhood is under increasing development pressure,” said Melissa Aldunate, the city’s manager of policy and urban design, of why it was selected as the top priority for study and potential designation designation. “It is one of Guelph’s oldest residential neighbourhoods.”
Heritage conservation districts come with regulations regarding new developments, renovations and additions, among other things, intended to preserve heritage features.
Following the study, it will be up to council to decide if Ward West should be designated as a CHD.
Staff time and limited budget mean one CHL can be studied at a time, Aldunate added.
In approving the motion launching the Ward West study, committee members added a line to ensure “Indigenous community engagement expertise” is part of the request for proposals that goes out to find a consultant for the work.
A motion aimed at sending the plan back to staff for revisions was defeated 8-5.
Coun. Bob Bell proposed the referral to address “serious flaws.” For him, the most significant is that it doesn’t make financial incentives for upkeep and repair of cultural heritage features a top priority among action items, which he feels is key to preserving private properties.
To illustrate his point, he shared the story of outdoor steps he replaced on a designated heritage property he owned at the time. To do the work, he made use of financial incentives available then that no longer exist today.
As such, Bell continued, the new owner has allowed the steps to fall into disrepair – something the councillor doesn’t believe would happen if financial assistance for such projects was available.
Developing a financial incentives program for restoring or repairing designated heritage properties is among the action items in the CHAP. That program is expected to be developed and presented to council with a budget request for 2025.
Bell also questioned the use of potential risk as the main factor in prioritizing CHLs for study and consideration of being declared a CHD.
Coun. Dan Gibson seconded the motion to refer the plan back to staff, echoing concerns about the prioritization for study. The said Ward West is “one of the last” affordable places for people entering the real estate market and making it a CHD could change that.
Several major developments in the area are already “well down the path” to being built, he added, suggesting, “we’ve missed our opportunity” for cultural heritage preservation.
Councillors Allt, Salisbury and Christine Billings also supported the referral back to staff.
