We are committed to conserving our cultural heritage resources for current and future generations. Our conservation best practices reflect national standards, provincial legislation, current city policies and procedures, conservation tools and approaches used by other municipalities and the input of Heritage Kitchener.
They are also the foundation of our heritage action plan, which is made up of eight projects we're undertaking to ensure our cultural heritage remains one of our highest priorities.
On this page:
- Built heritage emergency management protocol
- Designation subcommittee
- Heritage monitoring checklist
- Heritage procedural protocol
- Heritage promotion subcommittee
- Conservation plans for city-owned resources
- Designated heritage property grand program review
- Partnerships
Built heritage emergency management protocol
We used the City of Hamilton's Built Heritage Emergency Management Protocol as a model for similar processes. Part of this work included identifying one or more pre-qualified professional engineers to use in emergency situations. Council approved the adoption of our Emergency Management Protocol in 2016.
Designation subcommittee
A subcommittee of Heritage Kitchener will be established to help us review the list of non-designated properties on the Municipal Heritage Register, including our own properties. The sub-committee will help us identify priority candidates for designation.
Heritage monitoring checklist
We will review our own standard facility-monitoring checklist to ensure heritage-related matters are considered during routine inspections of our city-owned and built heritage resources.
Heritage procedural protocol
We’ll work with Heritage Kitchener to develop a protocol to provide direction on the Ontario Heritage Act. This will include defining notice requirements for the demolition of listed heritage properties, and processes associated with heritage permits and non-compliance.
Heritage promotion subcommittee
We will form a subcommittee of Heritage Kitchener to promote greater public education and awareness of heritage conservation.
Conservation plans for city-owned resources
We will prepare a report for council consideration on how we plan to develop conservation plans for select, city-owned cultural heritage resources. The report will also address how we plan to establish a sustainable funding source that enables us to care for and maintain our cultural heritage resources over the long term.
Designated heritage property grant program review
We will review our designated heritage property grant program, specifically focusing on grant amounts, eligibility and the ways we can improve the program for property owners. Following our review, we will present the findings to Heritage Kitchener and city council.
Partnerships
We will investigate opportunities to develop partnerships with other area municipalities, the Region of Waterloo, community organizations, academic institutions and businesses to reinforce our local support for cultural heritage conservation.