Heritage advocates sounding alarm as clock runs down on local history

Quote from the article:

The ACO is sounding the alarm as the clock runs down on time for municipalities to designate about 36,000 listed heritage properties across the province or risk losing them to development interests.

In 2022, the Ford government required municipalities to remove listed properties from their heritage registers by Jan. 1, 2025 unless they’ve begun the process to designate a listed property prior to the deadline.

Unlike a designated property, a listed property has only modest protection. Current rules require 60 days’ notice, in writing, of the owner’s intention to demolish or remove a building or structure, so the municipality can use that time to decide if it wants to afford more formal protection.

As of Jan. 1, properties on the register will no longer be afforded such protection or time. Properties that lose their listing status cannot be relisted for another five years.