With a $500,000 funding commitment, city council is looking to increase local heritage conservation efforts as the clock ticks down on some existing protections.
The funds, approved unanimously on Wednesday evening, will see a study into the potential creation of a Ward West heritage cultural district (HCD) relaunched. Council agreed to begin that study in early 2021 and then put it on hold a couple months later after agreeing to prioritize an HCD study for the former Ontario Reformatory lands.
Designated HCDs come with regulations regarding new developments, renovations and additions, among other things, intended to preserve heritage features for generations to come.
The additional funds, explained Coun. Cathy Downer, who brought the motion forward, are in response to the provincial government’s passing last year of Bill 23 which, among many other things, changes the rules regarding municipal heritage registries.
Under the bill, properties listed on municipal registries must be formally designated under the Ontario Heritage Act within two years or be removed from the list. Being on the registry doesn’t provide heritage protections, but when a demolition application is applied for, it gives council an opportunity to decide whether to designate the property.
“They’re recognizing that heritage is something important for us to preserve and to consider as we look to build out,” said Downer, noting the provincial government could have simply scrapped municipal registries.
“In reality, we’re probably only able to get with the (previous) capacity, about 10 to 15 designations done before that (two year) deadline,” Downer continued. “That leaves a lot of heritage assets in the city vulnerable.”
Of the new funds, Downer said $400,000 would be put toward the Ward West study and $100,000 would pay for a new, contracted staff member to focus on public engagement regarding the Ward West and reformatory studies, along with one underway looking at a downtown HCD.
“That frees up heritage staff’s expertise to deal with the designations. If they have to do the public engagement parts for all of those, they don’t have time to do designations,” she noted. “It’s sort of a bigger bang for our buck.”
