I am a professional working…

I am a professional working in the heritage industry in Toronto and Hamilton. I am frankly shocked that such a large section of the bill with such large ramifications against heritage buildings province-wide had ZERO consultation with any professional heritage organization and that the government refused the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario to speak to the Bill. This is horribly unprofessional and dismissive, as the work that has gone into listing buildings for decades will now be wiped off without a second thought by a government only concerned with pleasing developers and not the regular people of Ontario.

Listing buildings is a cost-effective way of demonstrating why some buildings are interesting architecturally, culturally, or historically, without having to meet sometimes cumbersome and expensive designation criteria. A listed building has NO associated costs with it, except a 90 day notice to the government before demolition. People can still renovate and work on these properties, and the properties are kept in place so that people can appreciate them for their significance. At a time when we are also trying to promote appreciation for more hidden histories (LGBTQ+, Indigenous, BIPOC) some of their most important histories and beginnings started in buildings that would not make the designation list but are important to list. This way, the buildings can still be adapted and changed as necessary, just NOT demolished.

Forcing a city to remove any listed buildings within 2 years of the passing of this bill is absurd and serves no purpose. Demolishing these listed buildings will not make space for affordable housing; the properties will be bought by large developers who will then just make more large and expensive condos that no one can afford anyway.

This is NOT the right direction to go in making affordable housing. If the government wants to introduce more rigorous methodology to list or designate in the future that could be understood (if they made cultural elements a matter of discourse) but to erase those that are currently listed will NOT help anyone, and certainly won't make room for affordable housing.

Again, I am outraged, but unsurprised, that Ford's government took no time to consult with actual experts in the field who would be able to give a nuanced understanding to this situation. But this is the same government that tried to demolish an actual designated property in Toronto (the Dominion Wheel and Foundry) so I guess we shouldn't be surprised, but I am extremely disappointed in this "minister of heritage". He is NOT interested in protecting Ontario's heritage at all.

Sincerely,

A concerned heritage professional