On Council agenda for March 21 there is a staff report recommending that Council approve the demolition of 12958 Hwy. 27.  The house at this property had been proposed to be integrated into a new development to which there was access from both Hwy. 27 and Wellington St.  As reviewed in the report a heritage assessment done on the property indicated that there was not justification for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) which was substantially modified by Bill 23.  Very specifically under the revised OHA designation requires that there be two attributes of cultural heritage value; prior to Bill 23 only one was required. The proponent has applied for a demolition permit which can only be refused by Council designating it. However, as designation cannot be justified Council has no ability to refuse the application.

I think this is a very unfortunate conclusion. The appendices to the staff report include the structural engineering report and the heritage impact assessment.  You can see these by going to the council agenda and scrolling down to 8.2. Give  the stated poor structural condition of the house I wonder why the idea of moving it so that he could be incorporated into the development was ever conceived. This certainly demonstrates how difficult it is to protect our built heritage.

As always deputations can be made. To do so please register at clerks@king.ca by noon on  March 17 or If you prefer you can e-mail your comments to clerks@king.ca and they will be distributed to Council members and appropriate staff.