Loyalist Township is currently updating its list of designated heritage buildings. This will be officially updated on the Municipal Register of Properties of Cultural Heritage Value and Interest of Ontario municipalities.
At the Loyalist Township Heritage Committee Meeting on May 16, Loyalist Township Planning Assistant Jennifer Hay introduced a report from Economic Growth and Community Development Services regarding Bill 23 and Non-Designated (Listed) Properties.
On Jan. 1, the proposed changes to the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) by Bill 23, the More Homes Built Fast Act 2022, went into effect. The changes to the OHA and its regulations were put forth to "renew and update heritage policies, some of which haven't been reviewed in over a decade, to reduce red tape and remove barriers that are slowing down housing construction and other priority projects while continuing to conserve and commemorate key heritage properties that matter most to local communities."
Bill 23 requires any properties listed on the Municipal Register before Jan. 1 to be designated within two years. Any properties that were not designated prior to the deadline must be cleared from the Municipal Register and aren't eligible to be re-listed or designated for five more years.
The Heritage Committee is to provide council with a list of properties that are not to be designated. They'll then need to reach out to the owners of the listed properties and determine their interest in designating the property under a Part IV designation..
With a deadline of Jan. 1, 2025, Loyalist Township Heritage Committee and Staff must decide soon which listed properties currently included in the Municipal Register should be prioritized for for designation. Loyalist Township Planning Assistant, Jennifer Hay, pointed out there are likely more properties they do want to designate, rather than not. With less than two years until the deadline, Hay said it would be more efficient to contact the ones they're not interested in designating.
"It's easier to have a list of what properties we don't want to bother designating than trying to figure out which ones we do. I'm assuming there's going to be more of the ones we do want to designate versus the ones we don't," said Hay.
Loyalist Township's Municipal Register currently contains 35 listed properties. A Heritage Committee meeting will be scheduled for an information session and conversation between Heritage Committee members and property owners.
Once the committee knows which properties to designate, they can bring that information forward to council. At the end of the meeting, the motion was carried to begin sending out letters to the specified properties.
Hear the CJAI story below.