Supporting Heritage in your community
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Supporting Heritage in Your Community — Frequently Asked Questions
In the course of showing the presentation included on this CD, you may encounter questions raised by councillors not directly addressed by the presentation itself.
We’ve tried to identify some of the questions that councillors may have and some possible answers.
We would encourage you to consider what other questions members of council might have as a consequence of seeing the presentation and prepare answers of your own.
What exactly is designation?
Designation is a by-law enacted by council that protects the heritage attributes of a property of cultural heritage value or interest. This follows a process of identifying, evaluating and defining a property as per criteria set out in the Ontario Heritage Act.
Who decides what is of heritage value or interest?
Properties of cultural heritage value or interest are usually identified by municipal heritage committees, or through a local community process such as an inventory of cultural resources, a municipal cultural planning process, or a community planning study.
Where do these powers and responsibilities come from?
Guiding legislation in matters of heritage comes from the Ontario Heritage Act and is supplemented by other pieces of legislation, including the Planning Act. It also comes from the Provincial Policy Statement.
Information on the Ontario Heritage Act can be found here:
http://www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/heritage/act.htm#amendments
Information on the Planning Act can be found here:
http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page212.aspx
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90p13_e.htm
Information on the Provincial Policy Statement can be found here:
You mentioned that heritage does not have to be something old. Do we have to protect everything in the community? Isn’t that getting a little bit ridiculous?
What you wish to protect and designate depends on the value that your community places on a particular place or structure. You don’t have to designate everything, but you should consider recognizing and protecting properties that have been identified and evaluated as having heritage value in your community.
Why are we going to spend money on heritage when we could be spending that money on other issues in our community like a resource centre for single parents or a new library?
Supporting and preserving heritage does not have to be at the cost of other things and is not a mutually exclusive action. For example, you could adaptively reuse an endangered heritage building to turn it into a resource centre for single parents or a new library.
Heritage is a key element in downtown revitalization, tourism development and sustainable communities and is a great return on investment.
Won’t heritage designation or protection make the buildings or areas unusable for modern purposes or under modern demands? For example, what if we need to make a place wheelchair accessible?
Heritage designation does not freeze a building in time, but rather ensures that future changes are done in a sympathetic manner.
Can a property be altered once it is designated?
The designation provides a process for ensuring that changes to a heritage property are appropriately managed and that these changes respect the property’s heritage value.
If the owner of a designated property wishes to make alterations to the property that affect the property’s heritage attributes, the owner must obtain written consent from council.
In general, this should be a cooperative process, where a property owner submits an application for the proposed work, and receives advice and guidance from the municipal heritage committee and / or municipal staff. Council makes the final decision on heritage permit applications unless this power has been delegated to municipal staff under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Does designation affect the interior of a property?
Designation will only affect those interiors that are considered to be of heritage value and would be described as a heritage attribute. When it does, they are usually publicly accessible spaces, such as the significant interior of a church or a head office entrance hall.
Will designation cause delays in building permit applications?
Owners of heritage property are encouraged to consult with municipal staff and the municipal heritage committee, where one exists prior, in applying for a permit.
Do property owners need permission for general maintenance?
General maintenance work, such as repainting of exterior trim, replacement or repairs to an existing asphalt roof, or alteration and repairs to property features that are not covered by the designation by-law, do not usually require heritage approvals. However, you may still need a building permit. Check with your local building department.
Does designation alter the right to sell the property?
Designation will not interfere with your right to sell the property. However, should a designated property be sold, the new owner is required to advise the city clerk of that change in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act.
What is a heritage conservation district?
A subsection in Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act enables the council of a municipality to designate any defined area or areas of the municipality as a heritage conservation district.
District designation enables the council of a municipality to manage and guide future change in the district, through adoption of a district plan with policies and guidelines for conservation, protection and enhancement of the area’s special character.
Will heritage designation make property insurance premiums go up?
Your premiums should not go up as a result of a heritage designation. A variety of other reasons cause insurance companies to increase premiums for older buildings if there is a higher level of risk, such as services (out-dated wiring, old heating systems, etc.). Some companies do not insure buildings over a certain age. Designation itself does not place additional requirements on the insurer and should not affect your premiums.
More information on insurance and heritage properties can be found at the Ministry of Culture website: www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/heritage/insurance.htm
What is the effect of heritage protection on property values?
Several recent studies suggest property values are affected positively by heritage protection. The Historic Places Initiative has created a briefing note with helpful case studies that illustrates this point: www.historicplaces.ca/downloads/property_values_and_taxes_en.pdf
Dr. Robert Shipley at the University of Waterloo has conducted some case studies exploring that same theme:
How much is all this going to cost?
That depends on what you want to accomplish and how much you value your community’s heritage.
What resources are there for us to use if we want to learn or do more?
The Ontario Heritage Tool Kit (available online, as a CD-ROM or a set of books) is an excellent resource to learn more about our cultural heritage and how to protect it in Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Culture also produces documents to guide municipalities, including Strengthening Ontario’s Heritage and Getting Started: Heritage Property Tax Relief.
You can order these tools through Publications Ontario:
www.publications.gov.on.ca/english
Information on The Ontario Heritage Tool Kit (and the entire set of books in PDF form) can be found on the Ministry of Culture’s website:
www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/heritage/Toolkit/toolkit.htm
Strengthening Ontario’s Heritage can be found in PDF form here:
www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/about/Ministry_Book_Eng.pdf
Information about Getting Started: Heritage Property Tax Relief can be found here:
Where can I find more information about protecting built heritage?
In addition to the Ministry of Culture’s website, the Ontario Heritage Trust (www.heritagetrust.on.ca) and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (www.arconserv.ca) have many resources regarding the protecting of built heritage available on their websites.
Where can I find more information about municipal heritage committees?
Community Heritage Ontario (www.heritageontario.org) is an umbrella organization for Ontario municipal heritage committees and is a good source of information about municipal heritage committees.
Where can I find more information or a list of qualified heritage consultants or contractors?
The Canadian Association of Professional Heritage Consultants – CAPHC (www.caphc.ca) is a national organization of qualified heritage practitioners. They have a directory of members on their website.
What are the benefits of Doors Open for our community?
Many of the places that choose to participate in Doors Open are businesses. While they are not able to charge admission to their heritage properties, they are able to conduct business with the people who are visiting. This would include the normal selling of what merchandise they usually offer, or the selling of special items relating to heritage.
A historic bed and breakfast, as an example, would be able to show off their establishment and facilities to people who might not have known about them or not considered staying there before.
As Doors Open is widely advertised in Ontario, your community’s participation in the event is an opportunity to showcase your community to both visitors and local residents alike. Spin offs from Doors Open include shopping and dining in local stores and restaurants.
How can our community get involved in Doors Open?
To take part in Doors Open, contact the Ontario Heritage Trust, organizers of this province-wide annual program:
Ontario Heritage Trust
10 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, Ontario M5C 1J3Telephone: 416-325-5000
Fax: 416-325-5071
E-mail: doorsopenontario@heritagetrust.on.ca
web site:
www.heritagetrust.on.ca
www.doorsopenontario.on.ca
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Last Modified: December 12, 2007