The proposed changes to the…

The proposed changes to the Ontario Heritage Act threaten our heritage but won’t necessarily lead to more truly affordable or attainable housing. Rather than minimizing the number of buildings designated as heritage sites so they can be destroyed, heritage buildings can be redeveloped to create more affordable and attainable housing, while preserving our historical buildings and our sense of place in Ontario.

The change in the threshold for heritage designation, requiring that two criteria be met rather than one, will make it almost impossible to protect modest heritage buildings which deserve protection.

Heritage designation of a property itself does not prevent development; it guides it and ensures that the building is "repurposed" in a way that retains our heritage while finding a new use (such as housing) for the building.

Conserving Ontario’s heritage is important. Loss of heritage sites and our older buildings means loss of jobs in the renovation and tourism industries, and loss of our sense of place.