Heritage property owners now have 5 years to designate their buildings
It was announced that heritage property owners now have 5 years to designate their buildings, in the March 18, 2025, Gravenhurst Council meeting.
In his heritage update summary to Council, Councillor, Randy Jorgensen, said that prior to this extension heritage property owners had two years to either designate or remove their buildings.
Jorgensen, who is also a member of the working group who recently changed their name from Properties of Interest to the Heritage Recognition Working Group, said they are noticing some new issues.
He said that although more people are getting on board with designating their properties, which provides them with protection under the Act, they are seeing a new community trend to the contrary.
“Most recently we’ve seen people coming forward to us and actually asking to have their properties designation removed,” said Jorgensen.
He explained, “The insurance situation has created a bit of a challenge in the official designation process.”
He added that the group is currently considering other ways to recognize properties as a result, such as creating plagues for them, and the municipal register would remain in effect too.
He added, “We see us adopting it on an informal basis rather than a strictly under the Act.”
The Town will also be working with the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), which includes posting properties for visual representation, which is also being done by the Muskoka Chapter, said Jorgensen.
He explained, “The Town will work with the ACO Muskoka branch to include our registered information.”
He continued that the working group recognizes individuals, families, and other heritage features throughout the Town.
He added that the group will also continue to pursue other endeavours, such as having a signage group for placing signs at places like Camp Calydor to highlight features of the property, and participate in the provincial Doors Open program scheduled for this September, which invites the public into other heritage buildings that they may not otherwise go into frequently, such as the Town Hall.
The Doors Open program must have at least 10 properties signed up for it to take place and will have someone on site to interpret information to the public, explained Jorgensen.
Mayor, Heidi Lorenz, expressed appreciation for the work the committees are doing.
