Issue No 158 March 14, 2010
FEATURE STORIES:
1. Study Trip to the Cotswolds, UK
6. Toronto Star: Province refuses to offer more protection for Dunlap Observatory
8. CTV: Brantford Protest
12. insideToronto: Historic Downsview hangars demolished
IN THIS ISSUE:
EVENTS submit an event
1. Study Trip to the Cotswolds, UK
2. T.S.A. 2010 walkable cities POSTER DESIGN COMPETITION:
NEWS | ACTION submit a news or action item
3. Centre Pier buildings to remain at least five years
4. Government of Canada invests in heritage infrastructure at the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada
5. Town of Aurora is the proud recipient of the 2009 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Community Leadership
LINKS submit a link
6. Toronto Star: Province refuses to offer more protection for Dunlap Observatory
7. Brantford Expositor: Protest against Mega demolition
8. CTV: Brantford Protest
9. Cambridge Record: Grandview School Threatened
10. Globe and Mail: Architecture - The Public Safety Building - enter at your own risk
11. Hamilton Spectator : Crawling for Attention
12. insideToronto: Historic Downsview hangars demolished
13. Owen Sound Sun Times: oldest active public school building in Owen Sound is slated to be demolished
14. Owen Sound Sun Times; Paisley Inn the news again
15. St. Thomas Times-Journal: Alma Back at OMB
16. The Community Press: Inventory of properties having heritage value now a register
17. TheRecord.com - Waterloo Record: Demolition politics and Wilfrid Laurier University
SUPPORT
18. Support Built Heritage News
CONTACT
1. Study Trip to the Cotswolds, UK
Presented through: Heritage Resources Centre
| Place: | Come and tour the Cotswolds with us. This area of England is known for its scenic villages, historic architecture and as a Regional Destination for Heritage Tourism. We will learn from local people about how the small towns and villages promote themselves cooperatively and attract tourists. We will meet local tourism officials, site operators, entrepreneurs and cultural experts. |
| Date: | June 27 to July 4, 2010 |
| Place: | The cost is $1,800.00 per person. Includes: the flight, five days bed and breakfast and tour. |
| Info: | A $200 deposit will be required to hold your spot Full Payment by March 15, 2010. Make Cheques Payable to: Robert Shipley or Marg Rowell with Cotswolds Study Tour 2010 in the Memo Line on the cheque Contact: rowell01@sympatico.ca |
Flight:
The tour leaves on Sunday June 27, 2010 from Toronto. We fly to Gatwick Airport in London and arrive Monday June 28, 2010. Return flight from London is on July 4th but different return date can arranged subject to a surcharge of $100.
The Tour Includes:
Return Flight Bus from Gatwick to Oxford
" 5 nights bed & breakfast in Oxford Brooks University Residence (Private single rooms with ensuite bath - very basic university rooms but walking distance fro central Oxford)
" 4 days of touring in a coach with local guide Mike Breakell, former Senior Lecturer in Planning and current District Councillor
" Professor Robert Shipley will meet the tour in Oxford
Program:
Details Subject to Change
Day 1 - Monday
Check in to Residence, optional walking tour of Oxford, free time
Day 2 - Tuesday
North Cotswolds - Chipping Norton, Moreton in Marsh, Stow on the Wold
Day 3 Wednesday
Trip to Bath
Day 4 Thursday
Southern Area Lechlade, Cirencester, Kelmscot
Day 5 Friday
Central Cotswolds - Burford, Witney and meetings with tourism officials
Yonge Street north of Queen Street, 1901 (City of Toronto Archives)
2. T.S.A. 2010 walkable cities POSTER DESIGN COMPETITION:
5th Annual Competition to Celebrate and Raise Awareness of Walkability
| Info: | http://www.torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/?q=node/94 |
The Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) invites submissions for this years poster design competition to promote and raise awareness around walkability . The purpose of the competition is to produce an image that draws attention to the value of pedestrian oriented design in cities, and that illustrates how a culture of walking can enhance economic, social, and ecological sustainability. Fostering a robust culture of walking will make daily life in the city healthier, richer, and more enjoyable. Creating spaces for sustainable and active modes of transportation on city streets is essential, through streets, public spaces, and environments that promote walking, cycling, and transit. The focus of this competition is how to foster a public realm which promotes walking and thus leads to a more sustainable city environment. Competition Sponsors: Astley-Gilbert and the Public Realm Section, Transportation Services, City of Toronto Competition Details: Competition is open to everyone, including students and professional artists Participants must register by April 6, 2010 Cash prizes: $1,000 first prize; $600 second prize; $400 third prize Submissions are due by April 20, 2010 (only electronic submissions will be accepted) Designs may use any form of photography, illustration, collage, or typography, provided no copyrights are violated in the design Intellectual property rights (copyright and moral rights) of the poster design submissions will remain with the designers Posters must be A1 size (594 x 841 mm / 23.4 x 33.1 inches) Judging is scheduled for April 27, 2010 Full details about the competition, including a copy of the competition brief, are available on the TSA website or by writing to poster@torontosocietyofarchitects.ca. Announcements and exhibition of winners will be made at the Toronto the Good party, which will take place in May. . The TSA will announce a list of exhibition venues at this time as well. Interested parties and sponsors should contact the TSA at tsa@torontosocietyofarchitects.ca.
3. Centre Pier buildings to remain at least five years
Joyce Cassin
It will be at least five years before any buildings are removed from the Centre Pier at Port Hope harbour.
Cameco took the initiative to meet Wednesday with members of the Pier Group and the Commissioners of Port Hope harbour regarding the fate of the Centre Pier buildings, says Chris Wallace of the Pier Group.
Wallace has always been open to meeting with these groups and finally had the opportunity for some face-to-face time with Cameco regarding the Environmental Assessment (EA).
"We were quite pleased to be invited," Wallace said during an interview prior to the Wednesday, March 3 meeting. "We want to put our cards on the table."
Wallace said they wanted to let Cameco know they were taking a very reasonable position on the matter and quite simply were looking for an answer as to what the environmental impact would be if the buildings remained or were torn down.
"Council is arguing that the buildings are polluted, so we want to know if there would be a negative impact if demolished and whether they actually are polluted," Wallace said.
"People need to know," he said. "And we're not afraid of the answer."
Doug Prendergast, senior communication specialist for Cameco Port Hope, said the group met at the library Wednesday night.
"It provided an opportunity for Cameco to provide some background on how we reached our current point," Prendergast said. "We laid out our path forward including the opportunity for the Pier Group to participate in the EA process."
The key point is that the buildings on the Centre Pier would not be removed until 2015 at the earliest, Prendergast said.
The reason for this lengthy wait is that first the EA process must be gone through. This would lead to the licensing process by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), another lengthy process, he said.
From a more practical side, the Port Hope Area Initiative PHAI) isn't ready to take the low-level radioactive waste stored in those buildings, so the buildings would be needed to continue to store the waste, he said.
"The overriding message is that Cameco has taken no position on keeping or removing the buildings," Prendergast said. "It really is a landlord/tenant issue."
The landlord, the Commissioners of Port Hope Harbor, has directed Cameco to remove the buildings prior to vacating the Centre Pier, Prendergast said.
"Finding out we have at least five years is extremely good news," Wallace said. "We won't have time to waste, but we'll have some breathing room."
Wallace said members of the harbour commission did not show any signs of shifting their position to have the buildings demolished.
"We understand that Cameco has a mandate to follow the direction of their landlord," Wallace said. "We pointed out that the harbour commission is our opponent in this fight."
4. Government of Canada invests in heritage infrastructure at the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada
Parks Canada Release
Hamilton, Ontario, February 22, 2010 – On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Mr. David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, announced today that the Government of Canada is providing infrastructure funding to the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada. Today's announcement is part of Canada's Economic Action Plan to stimulate Canada's economy during the global recession. The Economic Action Plan includes major investments in national historic sites as a means of stimulating growth in the tourism sector.
"Ontario offers many spectacular natural landscapes and interesting historic treasures and this investment is helping to preserve and protect one right here in our community," said Mr. Sweet. "The Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada is of great value to the local community and it offers a wonderful opportunity to experience and learn from our diverse history and heritage."
Through the Economic Action Plan's National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program, the Government of Canada will be contributing $13,100 to support a conservation project that involves work on the exterior of the building to repair the columns on the façade and replace the entrance steps at the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada.
The Former Hamilton Customs House is now home to the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre. "We are pleased to receive this funding from Canada's Economic Action Plan, which will help us to restore the exterior stonework of the Customs House", said Executive Director Elizabeth McLuhan. "The Customs House is one of the oldest remaining federal public buildings in Canada and is one of Hamilton's foremost architectural landmarks. With this funding, the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre will be able to maintain its public programs while retaining the integrity of the architectural design."
"This project will help the Former Hamilton Customs House continue to be a place with cultural significance to the community," said Minister Prentice. "In our Economic Action Plan, our Government is helping to stimulate the economy as well as preserve and protect special places like this that are symbols of our country and tangible connections to our history."
National historic sites contribute to tourism in over 400 communities across Canada through direct spending, visitor spending and spin-off economic activity. The National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program, with a budget of $20 million provided in part by Canada's Economic Action Plan, reflects the government's desire to support job creation by providing funding for conservation of National Historic Sites. This Program provides opportunnties for skilled construction and conservation professionals to work on national historic sites across the country.
This Program is a contribution program whereby up to 50% of eligible costs incurred in the conservation and presentation of a national historic site are paid by the Program. Eligible recipients include other levels of government, not-for-profit organizations and not-for-profit aboriginal organizations.
Parks Canada works to ensure that Canada's historic and natural heritage is presented and protected for the enjoyment, education and appreciation of all Canadians, today and in the future.
For additional information, please see the accompanying backgrounder at www.parkscanada.gc.ca under Media Room.
Information:
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Minister's Office, Environment Canada
819-997-1441
http://twitter.com/jimprentice
Media Relations
Parks Canada
819-994-3023
Backgrounder associated with this News Release:
Mayor Phyllis Morris, The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust (photo credit OHT)
5. Town of Aurora is the proud recipient of the 2009 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Community Leadership
Mai Al Nabhan, Manager of Heritage Planning and Urban design
The Town of Aurora was selected by the Board of Directors of the Ontario Heritage Trust as one of four municipalities to receive the 2009 Lieutenant Governors Ontario Heritage Award for Municipal Leadership in population category 50,000 to 125,000 recognizing its exemplary leadership in heritage conservation.
"The people of Aurora are extremely proud of their town and its heritage. Homes and neighbourhoods are beautifully kept, historic buildings respected, natural environments protected and cultural activities enjoyed. Aurora is truly honoured to receive this meaningful award, recognizing all efforts to preserve our past while preparing for our future," said Mayor Phyllis Morris.
Mayor Phyllis Morris accepted the award, on behalf of the Town of Aurora and its residents, at the Lieutenant Governors Ontario Heritage Award Ceremony that took place at Queen's Park on February 19, 2010. Awards were presented to the winners by The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, in the presence of The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust.
In 2008, the Town of Aurora was also named the recipient of the Heritage Canada Foundation Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership. Both awards are a great honour and testify to the hard work and ongoing commitment by the Town of Aurora to preserve its heritage ensuring that it will be protected for future generations.
6. Toronto Star: Province refuses to offer more protection for Dunlap Observatory
Noor Javed
The David Dunlap Observatory lands in Richmond Hill have the protection it needs and the province has no plans to step in to further protect the property through a provincial heritage designation, the minister of tourism and culture said this week.
Michael Chan's comments shattered the hopes of Richmond Hill's mayor and community activists who had been counting on a provincial designation to keep the property from being redeveloped completely.
"We have reviewed the situation, and we feel that at the moment the property is protected," Chan said.
"As far as we are concerned, the property is protected by the municipality, and that designation carries the same protection as a provincial designation."
Activists say an intervention might have kept alive the dream of retaining the extensive wooded property around the observatory as parkland.
The fate of the prime piece of real estate has been in dispute for two years, since the University of Toronto sold it to developer Metrus, which has suggested it will preserve the observatory buildings but develop most of the rest of the site.
Preservationists hoped an endorsement by the Ontario Heritage Trust and a recommendation from the Conservation Review Board Hearing that the 77-hectare property get a provincial designation would persuade the minister to intervene.
7. Brantford Expositor: Protest against Mega demolition
Richard Beales
Marchers want city to halt demolition
A group of about 50 protesters rallied around a stretch of condemned buildings on Colborne Street Monday, urging the city to reconsider its plan to start tearing them down this month. The protestors, drawn together by the Save the South Side of Colborne Street Facebook page, met outside the Royal Bank building and carried their placards east along Colborne to Market Street, before heading north to city hall. All the while they shouted, "We want the truth" in reference to comments by speaker David Bornstein, who alleged the city has been systematically misleading to its citizens about the viability of the 41 buildings, many of which date back to pre-Confederation years.
Push to save buildings in downtown Brantford
Protesters turned out in Brantford on Monday hoping to save 41 buildings slated for demolition. The city is tearing them down to make way for development on Colborne Street. The heritage committee was hoping to speak to council. It wants council to designate the buildings as heritage sites. However, in a 6-5 vote council has decided not to reopen the issue. The city says the paper work for the demolition should be done by the end of the week
Editor's Note: Nice quote from ACO Prez Lloyd Alter
photo from Google maps,
9. Cambridge Record: Grandview School Threatened
Kevin Swayze
Grandview school's history likely won't be enough to save it from the wrecking ball
CAMBRIDGE - City heritage officials are scrambling after hearing of demolition plans for Grandview Public School on Hamilton Street. Monday, public school board trustees approved, in principle, plans to raze the 77-year-old building. Until last week, talk was about $4.5 million in renovations and additions to double its size to handle upwards of 200 students bused in from the Deer Ridge area of south Kitchener. Now, the talk is of spending $7 million to raze and replace it, after more and more problems were found with the existing building as the renovation plans were drawn up. Heritage boosters were blindsided by the change of plans for Grandview. This has just exploded into the community, said Kathy McGarry, president of Heritage Cambridge. I was horrified when I heard Tuesday. The original Preston Public School was saved from demolition and converted into apartments in the late 1970s. When Central Public in Galt was demolished and replaced with a modern school, the public anger led to creation of the watchdog group Heritage Cambridge in 1971, McGarry said.
Winnipegs Public Safety Building, headquarters for the citys police services, is part of a modernist cluster of buildings in the citys historic Exchange District. John Woods/The Globe And Mail
10. Globe and Mail: Architecture - The Public Safety Building - enter at your own risk
PATRICK WHITE
To some, the crumbling structure that houses the Winnipeg police force is a blight on the cityscape, to others it's a jewel worth saving
WINNIPEG — It tries hard to be a serious building, all hard edges and concrete, a drill sergeant in limestone. But for all its glowering posture, the Public Safety Building is the city's architectural laughingstock.
Last Friday, for the second time in three days, police officers took refuge inside Red River College and stared across Princess Street to the PSB, the sorry workplace of several hundred Winnipeg Police Service employees.
In three years, police will evacuate the building for good, moving to a former Canada Post headquarters. While Red River College has expressed interest in the PSB, it joins a number of modernist buildings in the city with an uncertain fate. Chief among them is the Winnipeg airport, which will move into a new terminal by year's end, deserting the modernist showpiece it now occupies.
"These buildings are important," said Serena Keshavjee, an art history professor at the University of Winnipeg and author of Winnipeg Modern, a book that details the city's rich catalogue of designs from the 60s and 70s. "Most cities are trying to preserve them, but in Winnipeg there isn't even a debate and I'm not sure why."
Winnipeg’s Public Safety Building, headquarters for the city’s police services, is part of a modernist cluster of buildings in the city’s historic Exchange District. John Woods/The Globe And Mail
historic hotel
11. Hamilton Spectator : Crawling for Attention
Ken Peters
Heritage protectors highlight decaying buildings
Hamilton's grand old lady, the Royal Connaught Hotel, is a vulnerable mess.
It didn't take Matt Jelly and his posse of Hamilton downtown property protectors too long to come to that conclusion.
Jelly, a Hamilton artist and community activist, brought 75 citizens together Saturday for the city's first Bylaw Crawl.
The event was arranged so Hamilton heritage protectors could search out and report on city core properties in violation of the City of Hamilton's property standards bylaw.
Jelly's group hopes by making complaints to the city it can stop other buildings from falling into the kind of decay that forced the tearing down of the 97-year-old Century Theatre just last month.
Jelly's first stop was the vacant Royal Connaught on King Street East.
"One of our team members found the door with no lock. No impediment to trespassers. It was wide open and anyone can walk in there," he said of the east side door to the former crown jewel of the core.
"I can't imagine owning a building like that and not being excited about, not caring about it. Not wanting to protect it at all costs. It is crazy.
"The point of the bylaw crawl was illustrated right away," he added.
Jelly said the vulnerability of the Connaught reveals the building is at risk of suffering the same plight as the Century.
He said taking a peek inside reveals extensive water damage.
"The outside of the building looks great. People really love the building.
"If they were to see the water damage happening inside ... I think that is the shocking thing. It's such a great old building."
Hamilton Councillor Bob Bratina, who represents downtown, said he has been working with city staff to try and protect the Connaught from further decay.
"The true fact is the Connaught is not in good shape," said Bratina.
"It has not been well-kept and I'm not sure it has a future unless there is drastic renovation done. There are holes in the floor.
"I have been told by people who have been in the building that it is a dangerous building to go into."
Bratina said he has pushed to have signs on vacant buildings with the name and phone number of the responsible party.
Jelly is hoping to organize a March 6 bylaw crawl along with a cleanup event for the core.
Historic Downsview hangars demolished. Two historic hangars at Downsview Park were recently demolished. Photo/ROB COHEN
12. insideToronto: Historic Downsview hangars demolished
Lisa Queen
A campaign to save two historic hangars at Downsview Airport has failed, leaving resident Robert Cohen dismayed the buildings have been demolished over the last few days.
"The hangars are down. They started (demolishing them last) Thursday, Friday and (Monday). It's toast. As a passionate Canadian, there was no reason for this," said Cohen, a member of the Canadian Air and Space Museum.
"Unfortunately, a deal couldn't be had between (Downsview) Park and DND (Department of National Defence, which owns the hangars). Why these guys didn't broker a deal is beyond me. Why two heritage buildings were destroyed needlessly needs an investigation. It is a sad story."
Cohen said the Second World War-era hangars are a significant part of Canada's aviation history.
13. Owen Sound Sun Times: oldest active public school building in Owen Sound is slated to be demolished
Denis Langlois
Alexandras days numbered
The oldest active public school building in Owen Sound is slated to be demolished next year.
Alexandra Community School, at 15th St. and 7th Ave. E., was built in 1924. There have been three additions over the years.
The Bluewater District School Board has secured funding to replace it with a $5.2-million single-storey school.
The board has applied to city hall for a zoning change for a strip of land that abuts the northern section of the Alexandra property to permit construction of the new school and a parking lot.
A public meeting on the application is set for March 29 at 7 p.m.
Unlike with St. Mary's High School, the city has not requested a heritage impact evaluation of Alexandra to determine its historical significance.
Coun. Jim McManaman asked city staff Monday to explain why.
"I just think we need to ensure the two school boards are treated in the same manner," he said in an interview.
The city has moved to protect the original wing of St. Mary's High School under the Ontario Heritage Act. The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board is fighting the designation.
City staff say Alexandra is not on the city's list of important heritage properties. St. Mary's 1891 annex is on the list.
The original St. Mary's wing is 33 years older than Alexandra. It represents early Catholic education in Owen Sound and its prominent hilltop location makes it a well-known heritage landmark in the city.
Two other old schools are now in private hands: the former Victoria Public School, built in 1913, and Strathcona, built in 1936.
Pam Coulter, Owen Sound's community services director, said the school board's plan to demolish Alexandra will be circulated to the province and a final staff report on the rezoning request will address the heritage aspect of the school.
A 2008 accommodation review of Bluewater schools in the Owen Sound area recommended that Alexandra, Bayview and Sydenham schools be expanded to junior kindergarten to Grade 8 facilities and Strathcona Senior Public School be closed.
The committee also recommended that Alexandra be replaced.
The board plans to build a 257-student school to replace Alexandra, according to a Bluewater District School Board news release. The cost is funded by the Ministry of Education, proceeds from the sale of Strathcona and board reserves.
Construction of the 26,300-square-foot building is projected to begin this spring 2010, the board says, and the new school is expected to be opened in autumn 2011.
Council must approve a site plan for the project, contingent upon rezoning approval. The board's current plan, as submitted to city hall, is to build the school in the northern section of the property, with entrances off 8th Ave. E.
A horseshoe-shaped bus drop-off area is also proposed to be built off 8th Ave. E., with parking lots to the north and south.
14. Owen Sound Sun Times; Paisley Inn the news again
Mary Golem
Paisley Inn gets another reprieve
The fate of the historic Paisley Inn might be known at the end of March.
That's when a deadline extension given to owner Burke Maidl
ow by Arran-Elderslie chief building official Stephen Walmsley is up.
After more than three-and-a-half years of court battles between former chief building official Craig Johnston and Maidlow, a Superior Court justice ruled last November that a demolition permit issued by Johnston was invalid.
At the time, Maidlow vowed to apply for another building permit to make repairs, first to the most problematic west wing roof, which his own engineers agree could collapse.
Maidlow met with Walmsley, Dec. 2, when Walmsley outlined what he needed to do to get a new permit. The requirements include a completed application outlining the use of the building, engineer-approved drawings for the work and adequate insurance.
"I gave him 90 days, until the end of February, to come up with what was needed," Walmsley told members of Arran-Elderslie council at a meeting in Chesley Monday. "At the end of February, he did not have a completed application ready for me, and so I could not issue a permit."
"I gave him three months to come in with the proper paperwork and now I've given him an extra month," Walmsley said.
Although the Building Code Act gives the chief building official authority to act without council's permission, Walmsley said he chose to bring the issue back before council "to bring you up to date with what's happening because there's been so much history with this building."
"The judge has ordered that all that history be forgotten. It's gone and we're starting from Square 1," Walmsley said, adding his primary concern, as chief building officer and an officer of the Crown, is public safety.
"The inn is an unsafe structure," Walmsley said. "I've tried working with Mr. Maidlow, but we're running out of time. What he has come back to me with is not adequate enough for me to issue a permit."
Walmsley invited Owen Sound chief building official Brian Green, who has been involved in the process needed to demolish buildings, to the meeting to help him explain to council what is involved.
"Once it is declared an unsafe structure details of the reasons why must be stated, and the remedial steps needed to make it safe," Green told council. "If that is not done, the building can be ordered demolished" and costs for the demolition added to the property's tax bill.
Walmsley told council he doesn't believe Maidlow understands the seriousness of the building's condition and admits whatever plans he has for the building "will require a lot of time, money and work."
"If it is going to be open to the public, it needs to be safe," he added. "And right now, it is not."
"At some point, decisions have to be made," Mayor Ron Oswald commented. "He knows the deadlines -- first it was Feb. 28 and now it is the end of the March. Something has to be done. This has dragged on long enough. I'd hate to leave this for some other council to deal with."
"I'm not saying the building will come down," Walmsley stressed. "But a decision about its future has to be made by the end of March."
Elderslie ward Coun. Mark Davis expressed concerns about the building's safety, saying restoring the Inn "to its original glory just isn't going to happen."
Davis also expressed concern about what he called the "out of control costs" and money spent by the municipality on the Inn.
"At what point will the public be satisfied we've done our best to work with Burke?"
Paisley resident Bob Cottrill asked council and Walmsley about the Inn's heritage designation, however both Green and Walmsley said the safety factor "overrides any heritage status."
"Paisley is a heritage village. If you take a wrecking ball to that building you'll be tearing the heart out of the village," Cottrill said. "I agree with the safety issues, but I also care about the heritage."
"I'm not saying the building is coming down," Walmsley stressed again to council. "I'm letting council know what the options are and the code is very concise on what needs to be done."
15. St. Thomas Times-Journal: Alma Back at OMB
Kyle Rae, forwarded by Dawn Doty
Alma owners seek change on entrance
Alma College is back before the Ontario Municipal Board.
This time it is to determine whether an order issued more than two years ago, requiring the property owners to keep the iconic entranceway but replicate the historic tower and facade, needs to be modified. The board met at St. Thomas city hall Thursday morning, but adjourned until March 24. The adjournment was granted so chairman Steven J. Stefanko could receive legal briefing on the OMB's jurisdiction on these issues and what a modified order from the board could potentially look like. Analee Fernandez, from Patton Cormier and Associates, speaking on behalf of Alma Heritage Estates, requested a change in the Jan. 15, 2008, order by the OMB. Under that order, the north facade and spire tower were to be replicated while the front entrance was to be retained if and when the college were demolished. But, Fernandez argued, this is impossible to achieve since Alma was destroyed by fire on May 28, 2008, and the entrance had to be demolished. "That to me is a huge practical problem here," she said, noting such a requirement places an "extremely onerous burden" on the property owner, or anyone else who may want to develop there.
Since the city is seeking to formally register the OMB's 2008 decision, "in my submission effectively sterilize the lands ... . The chief building official won't be able to issue a building permit for this property, ever," she said. "We need something further from the board: a final order that respects the decisions from the board but removes the clauses requiring us to retain the entrance way," she said, adding that a clause should be included allowing both the city and property owner, if they so choose, to remove replication requirements. As for replicating the north facade and spire, Fernandez said replication is still a possibility, based on photometric records, if the OMB so orders it. She argued the board has jurisdiction to look at the order again thanks to fresh evidence, namely the May 28, 2008, fire that destroyed Alma. "It seems to me that replication of the entranceway may be the easiest way to resolve the matter," Stefanko said.
Barry Card, lawyer for the City of St. Thomas, replied, "That would be my fall-back decision."
He argued the OMB didn't have the jurisdiction to go back and revise its earlier decision, nor did it have a reason to fiddle with the January, 2008, document. "Tribunals are prevented from tinkering with their own decisions after they've been rendered," he said, noting the original OMB decision of January, 2008, is fine as it stands. That order required replication of the north facade of Alma College, including the entranceway, so that's already covered under the original order. "There isn't a problem with this order."
Editor's Note: Interestingly, the same member who is hearing the Alma College case is hearing 21 Avenue Road, Queen's Park views.
16. The Community Press: Inventory of properties having heritage value now a register
Sue Dickens
Campbellford – Listing properties of cultural heritage value is one of the mandates of the Trent Hills Heritage Committee and now the creation of a register will move it closer to achieving that goal.
"We only decided last year we would change the name of our inventory to that of a register. We always had the beginnings of one," heritage committee chair Des Conacher.
The decision to create a register, in keeping with provincial guidelines, was made at a recent meeting of the committee where members discussed how exactly to promote the register for the municipality.
It was decided a letter from the heritage committee will be sent to property owners whose homes qualify to be added to the register of heritage properties.
"This is a way to recognize the legacy of Trent Hills' architecture and to create a bank of information about the properties that represent that heritage," states the draft letter approved by the committee.
The register also serves as a source of information to Trent Hills' council, staff and the heritage committee "when considering the impact of new development in the municipality."
The committee also makes clear in its letter that placing a property in the register is not a designation but an act of recognition.
"If a property is on the register it is a stepping stone if down the road we want to consider designation," Conacher said after the meeting.
The register, as mandated by the Ministry of Culture, will include key information on all the buildings, structures, landscapes and districts that have been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
As Conacher explained, information about non-designated properties that have cultural heritage value or interest provides interim protection for sites undergoing change by requiring owners to provide the municipality with at least 60 days' notice of their intention to demolish or remove a building or structure.
17. TheRecord.com - Waterloo Record: Demolition politics and Wilfrid Laurier University
Terry Pender
BRANTFORD — An English professor who opposes demolition of some old buildings in Brantford has found herself at the centre of an academic rights and freedom dispute with Wilfrid Laurier University.
The City of Brantford’s expropriation of 41 old buildings along the south side of Colborne Street sparked an emotional debate pitting heritage preservation against redevelopment.
The buildings sit on land Wilfrid Laurier University has recently eyed for redevelopment and construction of a new recreation facility for students and the community.
After sending an email to the demolition company warning of potential controversy, Lisa Wood, an associate professor of English and Contemporary Studies, says she was rebuked by university officials.
“We are in a sense obliged to speak out on issues of importance and significance, and I happen to believe that the demolition of those 41 heritage buildings is an issue of significance,” Wood said.
Laurier spokesperson Kevin Crowley said Wilfrid Laurier University absolutely respects the right of professors to speak out on controversial issues, but the professors cannot be seen to be speaking on behalf of the university.
“They have to make it clear when they speak out they are speaking for themselves,” Crowley said. “That was the real nut of the issue.”
Heritage preservationists say the buildings in question include the longest stretch of pre-Confederation architecture in Canada. They say the buildings must be saved, rehabilitated and reused.
Those who support demolition say nobody has come forward in 30 years with a proposal to redevelop the rundown properties. The $13.2 million budgeted for purchase and demolition is money well spent because the cleared land will be more attractive to developers, they say.
On Jan. 23, Wood started a Facebook group called Save the South Side of Colborne Street. It now has 1,635 members. Wood has spoken out at public meetings, started petitions and helped organize opposition to the demolition.
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