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The Provincial Policy Statement, 2014 says:

2.6.1  Significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes shall be conserved.

Last time we looked at the evolution of the definition of cultural heritage landscapes, now in its third iteration. We did not look at the meaning of “significant.”

Main Street, Warkworth, Ontario

Earlier this year I was asked to name some of the key changes, actions or themes affecting heritage conservation in Ontario over the last generation or so.

We saw last time that the Conservation Review Board is one busy little tribunal these days. The website list of their active cases doesn’t reveal what kind of cases they are but I’d bet dollars to doughnuts they all have to do with objections to designation.

We all love statistics, especially when they’re moving in the right direction.

Artscape Youngplace, a culture hub on Shaw Street, Toronto

Picking up from last time:

The City of Toronto and the province are joining forces to address the tax squeeze in which a number of Toronto properties find themselves.

You’ve surely heard of 401 Richmond? The building at 401 Richmond Street West at the corner of Spadina Avenue in downtown Toronto has been making news for a while now — and not in a good way.

A historical etching of the Macdonald Manufacturing Company

In “The Blog Takes a Bow” late last year I signaled that OHA+M would be relocating to the website of UWaterloo’s Heritage Resources Centre.  Well, c’est arrivé!

As for 2018, here are some things to watch for. 

The Trudeau government’s reaction to the ENVI report

Happy New Year!

Since everyone else is doing it — ruminating on the old year left behind and prognosticating on the one just launched — I suppose I should too.

For 2017, here are my top three heritage highlights. 

Steve Otto’s appointment to the Order of Canada

Just as the year ended, long-time heritage stalwart Steve Otto received the county’s highest accolade. The citation for his appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada reads:

Sacrificial lamb: someone or something that suffers so that someone or something more important can succeed  ~ Macmillan Dictionary

Suffers — or in the case of Bill C-323, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (rehabilitation of historic property) — dies.

Today, there’s good news and bad news.  Well, I’ve already told you the bad news.