The ACO Provincial Policy Committee wants you to respond to the call for comments from the Provincial Government on Bill 108. The Government of Ontario has proposed changes to the Ontario Heritage Act through Bill 108.
Part of Bill 108 proposes changes to the Ontario Heritage Act. We need to speak out against this flawed proposal right away. June 1 is the deadline for comments and the government wants to pass the Bill by June 11.
Our concern is that Bill 108 would take away local communities’ right to say what is important to them, and what parts of the past the community values and wishes to pass on to future generations.
It would give this authority to the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT), who can undo the work of democratically elected councils — and the Municipal Heritage Committees and trained heritage planning staff who support them. LPAT will have the final say on approving, revoking or amending heritage protection bylaws.
Compounding the problem: No current LPAT members have any background in heritage. Nor are they required to have heritage expertise or an understanding of the values of the community they are judging.
We don’t need this radical departure. The current regulations 9/06 and 10/06 work. They provide criteria that help ensure decision made by communities on heritage properties are objective and consistent across Ontario. The specialist Conservation Review Board (CRB) reviews municipalities’ work and provides an expeditious, low-cost alternative to lengthy LPAT appeals. Don’t change a rule book that’s working.
What’s the rush? Take time to properly consult with the heritage and municipal sectors and get this right.
Take Schedule 11, Ontario Heritage Act, out of Bill 108.
What you can do:
- Review an unofficial blacklined version of the Ontario Heritage Act, with the proposed amendments, prepared by Osler Hoskin Harcourt LLP.
- Leave an officially registered comment through the online consultation of the Environmental Registry of Ontario. But hurry! The deadline for comments is June 1.
- Express your concern about these arbitrarily imposed changes to the Ontario Heritage Act to your local MPP. Check here for your local MP’s contact information.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
Thank you – if you have questions, please contact Alex MacKinnon at programcoordinator@arconserv.
For a plain language description of Bill 108, click here.