Heritage buildings face an uncertain future in Ontario

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Tens of thousands of Ontario buildings listed as heritage properties could potentially face the wrecking ball in less than two years.

In Toronto, there were just under 4,000 buildings listed, many of them in areas facing intensification pressures.

Diane Chin, chair of Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO), said Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act passed by the Doug Ford government last year, gives municipalities two years as of Jan. 1 2023 to officially designate a listed building under the Ontario Heritage Act.

There are about 32,000 listed buildings across Ontario, and as an example, Toronto designates an average of 64 buildings a year, she said.

“Jan. 2 2025 — they could all start coming down theoretically,” Chin said in a recent interview.

A property is listed to give municipalities time to consider whether it has historical significance before it is demolished or significantly altered.

Municipalities then have to write a designation bylaw for each building, a process that involves either staff or hired heritage professionals conducting the necessary research, she said.

Municipalities must give intent to designate a property within two years or take it off the list for at least five years.

The City of Toronto’s planning and housing committee will consider a staff recommendation Tuesday to amend the Toronto Municipal Code to align with the new provincial legislation.

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“One of the most significant impacts of the amendments is a two-year time limitation on the listing of heritage properties,” a staff report says. “There are currently 3,981 properties listed on the city’s Heritage Register that are not yet designated. The properties are located across the city, and some have been listed for nearly 50 years.”

Chin said these buildings could be repurposed in a way that meets needs, such as turning churches that are no longer needed into affordable housing while preserving their historic value.

“That’s why we really worry about the fact that these buildings will be lost after two years because then the owners may sell them to developers that will then buy up a bunch in a particular area and knock them down,” she said. “Because that’s what they’re used to doing, that’s what they’ve been doing for so many years. For the last 100 years, it’s just knocking stuff down and building anew.”

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has said the purpose of Bill 23 was to meet the provincial goal to meet growing demand for housing and to address affordability concerns.

aartuso@postmedia.com