I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the changes to Ontario Heritage Act proposed by Bill 23.

I am the descendant of a family that built and stewarded some of the oldest homes in the Etobicoke area, one definitely dating back to 1834, others likely earlier. Some of these buildings are already designated, but several of the other early structures associated with my family are only listed. Whether designations can be achieved within the time constraints of the new law is a great worry given the likely flood of applications that will occur, and if designation is not achieved, those historic buildings will be excluded for five years and vulnerable to the wrecking ball of developers. I believe that should demolition occur, it would be a shameful outcome and a loss to our City and Province.

I further note that The Annex, where I live as a tenant, is filled with unlisted and/or undesignated buildings, many of real heritage value, that in many instances provide affordable accommodations. Examples include including very early (Edwardian, 1920s, 1930s) apartment buildings, notable mid-century modern apartment buildings, and old houses that have been subdivided, many offering social housing. There is a great variety of building styles and all add to the idiosyncratic visual charm of a neighbourhood whose built form encompasses over 100 years of Toronto history. Equally, the mixed human variety of the Annex, created by the mix of rental buildings and family homes, is very particular and precious. Students share streets with the elderly and investment bankers rub shoulders with the residents of Toronto’s oldest women’s shelter.

If so many of our buildings are now vulnerable to demolition without due consideration, it will be a loss to the City and the Province, as part of our collective memory will disappear and an exciting, eclectic neighbourhood will be visually and socially homogenized. The consequences will also be tragic for incumbent renters and for newcomers seeking affordable housing as the proposed developments in our area are almost exclusively at the expense of purpose built rentals in favour of luxury condominiums.

Finally, I note the severe environmental cost of demolition, that the quality of older buildings can no longer be replicated due to cost and loss of craftspeople, and, as best said by the ACO, “the faster way to housing is to re-use and adapt existing buildings”.

I vehemently urge the Minister to reconsider the very risky modifications to the OHA found in Bill 23.