The County has taken a big step toward protecting its heritage.

The next is turning a list of recommendations into policies, funding and protections.

The Planning and Development Committee approved the Cultural Heritage Master Plan August 23.  Of  21 recommendations, 13 are ranked high priority. They include updating heritage policies, reviewing the municipal heritage register, improving heritage expertise and developing a process to identify and protect Cultural Heritage Landscapes.

“I think we’ve come to a very good result,” Councillor John Hirsch said, noting the full support of the heritage committee for the revised plan.

Implementation will take several years. The first phase begins in 2026, while work on Cultural Heritage Landscape designations begins in 2027. Available staff and financial resources are a big factor.

One of the plan’s top recommendations is a dedicated municipal Heritage Planner to lead heritage initiatives, advise the Built and Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and review development applications, but staff are not recommending the position at this time. Instead, the work plan calls for outside heritage expertise when needed and additional training for existing Planning staff.

The plan also calls for a municipal reserve fund for heritage conservation in the 2027 budget.

The Master Plan identifies 34 potential Cultural Heritage Landscape designations, while the work plan proposes starting with one or two in 2027 as an initial step. Moving toward formal designation would include Indigenous and stakeholder engagement, evaluation, public information, and consideration by the Planning and Development Committee. 

“When we look at one segment, will we also look at all similar segments?” asked Councillor Maynard.

Staff said grouping similar landscapes was a possibility, while further review would help determine priorities and whether the boundaries of landscapes to be designated made sense.

“We should engage Indigenous peoples first before coming up with a budget for that process,” Mr. Hirsch said.

The work plan also calls for revisions to the Heritage Committee’s terms of reference, membership criteria and advises mandatory training in heritage conservation, history, architecture, archaeology, Indigenous history and planning.

That committee will ultimately be shaped by the next Council.

“I don’t want some of these points to get lost,” Mr. Hirsch said, as councillors discussed the transition to a new term.