HERITAGE OTTAWA

“It is a blatant grab for taking the powers of decision-making away from municipalities and putting power into the hands of our already largely unfettered development community. This has nothing to do with our current housing crisis.”

Heritage Ottawa has reacted strongly against a number of recommendations in the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force Report that would see the dismantling of several decades of hard work to protect heritage buildings and districts from destructive redevelopment.

Recommendations of the Task Force Report

The following report recommendations indicate a deep lack of understanding, even hostility, about the purpose and positive impacts of heritage designation:

Recommendation 12 a:
Repeal or override municipal policies, zoning or plans that prioritize the preservation of physical character of neighbourhoods.

Recommendation 16:
Prevent abuse of the heritage preservation and designation process by:
    a. Prohibiting the use of bulk listing on municipal heritage registers; and
    b. Prohibiting reactive heritage designations after a Planning Act development application has been filed.

Recommendation 17:
Requiring municipalities to compensate property owners for loss of property values as a result of heritage designations, based on the principle of the best economic use of land.

Heritage Ottawa Responds

In Heritage Ottawa’s letter to City of Ottawa Planning Committee, we heartily endorse City staff warnings that these recommendations have the potential:

• To repeal or override Heritage Conservation District Plans developed to help create sustainable, vibrant, livable communities;
• To reverse the certainty for property owners that a robust Heritage Register has created, and which has resulted in fewer “reactive” designations;
• To perpetuate a misconception — without providing any evidence — that heritage designation results in a loss of property value when, on the contrary, there are myriad examples in Ottawa and Ontario of successful redevelopments that dramatically increase the density and property value on a site while conserving valuable heritage resources.

At its meeting of March 10, Planning Committee considered the recommendations of a City Staff Report concerning Ottawa's response to the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Council will consider Planning Committee's recommendations at its meeting of March 23.

Read Heritage Ottawa's letter to Planning Committee HERE.

Read City Staff's Report to Planning Committee and Council HERE. Detailed Comments on the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force Report's 55 Recommendations begin at page 10.

Read the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force Report HERE.