Housing act allows until Jan. 1, 2027 to give full heritage designation, but some say it’s a losing battle
Almost all 3,600 listed heritage properties in Toronto — including several national historic sites, and the Gibraltar Point lighthouse — are about to lose their protection against demolition and redevelopment, because of a section in the province’s More Homes Built Faster Act, heritage experts say.
The act, passed in 2022 to ease the housing crunch, gives municipalities until Jan. 1, 2027 to upgrade all properties on their heritage lists to full heritage designation, which protects the structures against arbitrary demolition.
Any properties not upgraded by then must be dropped from the heritage register, the new legislation states, and give up all protection against development.
Heritage experts warn that only a handful of the city’s 3,600 listed heritage buildings can be given full designation by the end of this year, since each property requires months of research, culminating in its own bylaw, which needs to be passed by city council.
Some of Toronto’s most historic buildings may be at risk of demolition as clock ticks: advocates – CBC, January 26, 2026
Image: Andrew Rivett from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
