Comment
Here is an example of what happens to Heritage Buildings in Vaughan.
Blocks 47, 44 & 41 - Teston & Pine Valley Area
10390 Pine Valley Road (Item 5: https://pub-vaughan.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=ad6661f3-4ac6-4…), is confidential and been added as an addendum to the Committee of the Whole meeting, abutts and is somehow been approved on portion of the Greenbelt, has a long controversial history and an OLT/LPAT 2016 decision that appears to have enabled development outside of York Region's approved 2010 urban boundary on the Greenbelt and ahead of York Region completing the North East Vaughan Water/Waste Water Servicing Solution EA in 2019.How The City of Vaughan and York Region proceeded to approve development on Blocks 47, 44 and 41 (Block 41 approved by a MZO and home of the controversial ROAP7) have proceeded under LPAT/OMB/OLT decisions in 2016 (https://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl150684-Apr-06-2016.pdf) ahead of York Region completing the EA in 2019 remains a mystery to me. I don't understand why this is at the tribunal again when there was a decision on this property in 2016, that Vaughan has provided zero information when there is certainly much that is public about this development makes it appear that Council and staff are not being tansparent about what is being asked and what they are deciding upon.
It is clear that the natural and cultural heritage is being decimated by these development and either there is nothing the City can do or they are facilitating development that undermines and is questionably compliant with the Provincial Policy Statement, Ontario Heritage Act, Endangered Species Legislation and more. The Purpleville Post Office located at 10733 Pine Valley Dr.(Pine Valley & Teston Rd - https://pub-vaughan.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=46719) has been delisted due to a fire. There was no indication that Vaughan fire services was called or any type of investigation was completed.
Now on today's committee of adjustment agenda as we move west along Teston Rd there are two properties requesting delisting as heritage status one a log cabin at 3911 Teston Rd quoted from the July 20/2022 staff report: "Today, the site consists of a pile of debris where the log building once stood."
https://pub-vaughan.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=1157…
No explanation as how it came to be a pile of debris. Nor the timing of the applications attachments to the Heritage Committee, there is demolition request from 2019 and a request from the landowners consultant to delist the property b/c there is no structures left that are of cultural significance. Then there is the delisting for 3180 Teston Rd also destroyed in a fire with the consultant landowners request (https://pub-vaughan.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=1157…) that it be delisted. The staff report on today's agenda provides a link to the Heritage Committee report due to the size of the attachments rather than listing them as attachments. Suggesting they are too large to attach does not seem plausable given that there are no issues attaching documents that are master plans and 100s of pages long. Again transparency is lacking here too, intentional or not.
Was there any due diligence done on behalf of Vaughan staff to protect or investigate why 3 properties on the same block, under intense development pressure, identified for protection under Ontario's Heritage Act have either caught fire or become a pile of debris? It seems highly coincidental.
All you have to promote Vaughan's heritage is to point people to the archives as was done in Councillor newsletters and City social media statements recently.
Vaughan Planning staff insult residents and provincial planning and environmental legislation when they continually parrot that any and all development applications are "consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement" when they clearly are not; it is a slow, relentless push to destroy what little cultural and natural heritage remains in Vaughan. By the time developments are complete they look nothing like what was in approved Official Plans, Secondary Plans or what the public was actually consulted upon for approval.
I understand there is relentless pressure for development and limited resources but that does not excuse ignoring issues of compliance and enforcement. The only way these issues can be addressed is if they are identified, recognized and brought to light. To not do so makes Council and Vaughan staff culpable and perpetuates what can only be described as a 'culture of complacency".
Submitted December 9, 2022 11:30 PM
Comment on
Proposed Changes to the Ontario Heritage Act and its regulations: Bill 23 (Schedule 6) - the Proposed More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022
ERO number
019-6196
Comment ID
81292
Commenting on behalf of
Comment status