Heritage inventory complete for Bobcaygeon and Bethany
Emily Turner, economic development officer responsible for heritage, reported to council recently the achievements of the first year of the city’s ambitious plan to create an inventory of all property in the city that has historical significance or value.
The inventory, commissioned by council in 2022, began first with field inventories of heritage-worthy properties in Bethany and Bobcaygeon.
“We began in Bobcaygeon,” Turner said, “because there is a very high chance there of loss of heritage due to redevelopment. We also had a good base of volunteers who were excited to assist us.”
Turner told councillors that the project in Bobcaygeon began with community outreach and was followed by the creation of the field inventory of potential properties with photographs of each.
“We discovered that Bobcaygeon is rich in heritage properties,” Turner said. “We identified 303 historical properties. Huge numbers of those are mostly residential buildings with some commercial properties located in the downtown core of the village.”
“There are more than I expected,” Turner said. “There are things I didn’t know were there from roughly 1850-1930.”
Turner said that Bethany was chosen for the first year along with Bobcaygeon because “we didn’t want our rural communities to feel like they were being left out of a project like this.”
She also pointed out the groundswell of support that came from the membership of the Manvers County Historical Society who were eager to assist the city in their data collection.
“It is fundamental to have community engagement and encourage community involvement,” Turner said. “83 historical properties were identified in Bethany, with the majority residential with several institutional and commercial properties located along Highway 7A.”
Turner reminded council that the inventory creation is governed by the Provincial Heritage Act that lists nine different criteria to be worthy of placement on a heritage inventory. Those characteristics for consideration include architectural value, historical value, who lived there, the building’s relation to wider historical themes in the community, who was the designer, who built it, whether it is a community landmark and how it contributes to the overall streetscape.
Until the implementation of Bill 23 last November, only one characteristic from the above list was necessary for some kind of historical designation. The controversial new legislation has apparently upped that number to two characteristics.
“In 2023, we plan to do Fenelon Falls, Omemee and the remainder of Manvers Township,” Turner said. “This is going to be a really exciting process.”
For the sake of the new councillors, Turner took a few minutes to explain why an inventory of heritage properties is important to Kawartha Lakes.
“Comprehensive data collection and management is a key pillar of proactive heritage resource management,” Turner said. “The data (we collect) will be used as part of the city’s decision-making process (about development) in the short, medium and long term. Understanding what (heritage) resources exist is a key aspect of a proactive planning program.”
“This is a large project. It will likely take 10-15 years,” Turner said. “We have lots of historical buildings in Kawartha Lakes, but we really don’t know enough about them. We received a lot of incomplete data from the former municipalities, partially because we are such a geographically large municipality. We don’t know what is out there and it is tough for the city to make really good decisions about what we do with our heritage resources.”
Turner told council that other municipalities have already created substantial and comprehensive heritage resource management plans, and those include Toronto, Ottawa, Oakville and Mississauga. According to Turner, the creation of heritage inventories is looked upon as an “international best practice” in cities around the globe.
“This inventory puts us in line with what other regions are doing to manage their heritage resources,” Turner said. “We need to be thoughtful about heritage decisions and that requires data that will allow us to preserve and protect heritage resources. It is important for helping the city plot growth. We understand new development puts pressure on heritage resources, and this inventory helps us make smart decisions about how we manage heritage.”
“We want to have the information (about the property) gathered before a demolition or development application is received,” Turner said. “With the data in place we know what we are doing and can go forward to make smart, calm and informed decisions. It will also allow us to provide better services and allow us to assist investors before they invest.”
“(The creation of a heritage inventory) is part of the land use planning process. We just aren’t preserving pretty buildings,” Turner said.
When the floor opened to questions, deputy-mayor Tracy Richardson wanted to know if the Bethany study would go up when the data is suitable for posting, or would it wait for the listings from the rest of Manvers to be gathered this summer.
“Yes, it will go up (separately) as soon as the data is cleaned up,” Turner said. “It will go up before the rest of Manvers is done.”
Richardson thought that was a wise decision so other communities can see what the process looks like.
Councillor Eric Smeaton wanted to know if people who currently have some kind of heritage recognition because they meet one of the nine provincial matrixes for designation, will be contacted by the city if the changes legislated by Bill 23 see them removed from the heritage listing.
“We will reach out to them,” Turner said.
Councillor Mike Perry asked if there is an Indigenous component to the registry, or is that being done by some other group.
“I deal with the heritage of almost anything, Indigenous or settler,” Turner said. “It all falls under this umbrella. It will be worked on over the next few years.”
Mayor Doug Elmslie asked for an update on the project which began last year in the “Pumpkin Hollow” sector of Lindsay to recognize the heritage of that neighbourhood.
“That is ongoing,” Turner said. “With that project the study was presented to council last July. That is separate from this project. There are some challenges relating to changes made through Bill 23. Council will be receiving a separate report on this issue in the second quarter of 2023.”