Heritage planning and designation

Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Attention: Nancy Martins

RE: PH16.9 – Updates on Implementation of Bill 23 Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act

Dear Councillor Gord Perks and Members of Planning and Housing Committee,

This is to confirm that FoNTRA recognizes the immense challenge imposed by the provincial government’s deadline for designation of listed properties, and the threat to loss of Toronto’s cultural heritage. We strongly support the City’s approach to moving forward with prioritization of listed properties, and measures to maintain an ongoing inventory going forward.

As such, we are also strongly in support of the Toronto Preservation Board’s recommendations concerning the report, namely that:

  1. City Council request the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism to extend the deadline for elimination of listed properties from the Heritage Register to Jan 1, 2030.
  2. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to maintain a publicly accessible inventory of all listed properties eliminated from the Heritage Register.

We note that the report provides an Appendix providing summary data on properties related to designation priorities, but without the detailed data from which the summaries are compiled, or the mapping that is necessary for understanding certain performance measures (i.e. 3,4). This data would be of immense value to the Community Preservation Panels (CPPs), historical societies, and residents wishing to assist in the designation of listed properties in their areas.

We understand that Heritage Planning is supportive of making available information on prioritized lists and will be arranging meetings with CPPs later this year or early in 2025.

Yours truly,

Geoff Kettel
Co-Chair, FoNTRA

Cathie Macdonald
Co-Chair, FoNTRA


CC: Kyle Knoeck, Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning 
Mary L. MacDonald, Senior Manager, Heritage Planning Urban Design, City Planning
Paul Maka, Project Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning

Photo: Oaktree bCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons