Ottawa Citizen | OPINION by Peter Coffman

As a Hintonburger and an architectural historian, I was delighted when the Built Heritage Committee voted on May 13 to recommend heritage designation for the Church of St-François-d’Assise.

It’s a beautiful building, but beautiful is not all it is. For many, it’s sacred space. For many more, it’s a landmark. It bears witness to the heritage of Hintonburg. It anchors us in history and bestows a sense of place.

But not everyone was as happy as I was. Most notably, Richard Pommainville, CAO of the Ottawa-Cornwall Archdiocese, spoke out in opposition to designation. Jesus wouldn’t have supported designation, he argued, because it wouldn’t have assisted the church’s mission to bring the word of God.

I probably shouldn’t get into a theological debate with the Archdiocese’s senior administrator. But I will say that Jesus never took a position on Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, and that 1,700 years of Roman Catholic history affirm the value of beautiful architecture in bringing people closer to God.

On purely historical grounds, St-François-d’Assise easily merits designation. It’s an exceptional example of early 20th-century Roman Catholic architecture. It displays a high degree of artistry and craftsmanship. It embodies the faith of the francophone Catholic community, which is a core element of Hintonburg’s history. It’s connected to many prominent citizens of the community’s history. It has been the neighbourhood’s most distinctive landmark for over a century. This incomplete list of attributes already exceeds the requirements for designation.

So why the resistance? Some property owners who oppose designation do so because they fear that restrictions will be placed on what they can do with their building. Moreover, they don’t see much in the way of support to help them meet the responsibilities that go with designation. In short, they see sticks, but not carrots.

I get their point. Heritage legislation in Ontario could use a few more carrots. This would help us preserve our historic buildings, and persuade their owners of the value of designation.

The heritage “sticks” that apply to a building like St-François — that is, the restrictions placed on owners — are not, in fact, very robust. You can do just about anything you want to a designated building — even demolish it — as long as you get permission from City Hall. Yes, that can take time, and money, and not all requests are granted. But that’s as it should be. It shouldn’t be easy to disfigure or destroy our built heritage.

And there are some “carrots” — opportunities available only to designated buildings. The Ontario Heritage Act empowers municipalities to give grants and loans to help conserve designated properties. In Ottawa, a property owner can apply for a cost-matching grant of up to $10,000 for a small property or $35,000 for a large one. A more ambitious cost-sharing grant, with a ceiling of $75,000, can be applied for every five years. It is awarded based on availability of funding by City Council as part of the annual budget. Aye, there’s the rub. As discretionary money gets tighter at City Hall, these grants will be harder and harder to get.

And, it must be said, the amounts are not stellar. Sure, if my house is designated and I want to restore the front porch to its pre-Second World War appearance, that $10,000 would be handy. But if I need to replace the roof at St-François d’Assise, not even the $75,000 grant would be enough. It wouldn’t even be a down payment.

More than ever, we need to preserve heritage buildings like St-François d’Assise. Especially when our identity and sovereignty are being undermined from outside, we need to understand, preserve, and celebrate the places that embody our unique stories. But if the community declares that a place is of value to us all, it’s only fair that we all share the responsibility of maintaining it. We need more carrots.

But first things first. Let’s make sure that buildings like St-François-d’Assise get designated, and receive all the protection and support our current policies provide.

Peter Coffman is an architectural historian at Carleton University and past president of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada.