The County’s “Historical Register” is a list of 226 buildings of special historic, architectural, and aesthetic value. The Ontario Heritage Act permits municipalities to “list” properties that have historical or cultural significance. Listing a property protects it by requiring owners to give a town council 60 days’ written notice before any demolition can occur. If demolition is imminent, a municipality can move to designate a listed property, so it cannot be destroyed. Designation can occur without an owner’s consent.

Fewer than a 100 of the County’s listed properties are designated heritage buildings. Designation means they cannot be demolished, and renovations must preserve architecturally significant features, but only on the outside of the property.

Under Ford’s Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, properties that are listed will be removed from the Register at the end of 2026 if they are not officially designated. The bill has heritage conservationists across the province worried about a large scale destruction of Ontario’s built heritage when hundreds of listed properties of historical significance are removed from the rosters.

Accordingly, Council’s Built Heritage Committee is moving to designate as many of the County’s listed properties as it can. Owners of listed properties should have received a letter advising them of the process.

The designation qualifies homeowners for grants and loans, from $1,000 to pay for improvements to signage to $7,500 to pay for upkeep of a two-storey exterior façade, for example. 

But for some homeowners, that’s not enough. “There’s the impression that designation freezes your house,” said the Heritage Committee’s Edwin Rowse. “This is untrue. All it does is identify certain items and attributes for preservation.” Mr. Rowse also noted homeowners worry that if part of the house is destroyed, they would be responsible for ensuring historical repairs. “If a tree falls on your roof, you don’t need to use the original shingles to repair it. You can use modern materials.” 

Designation preserves historically and culturally valuable architecture in a town set to see significant growth in coming years.

Simpson/Mallory  House, Bloomfield

Most people wouldn’t notice the Simpson-Mallory House, which is set back from the Parkway and hidden in a thick copse of trees at the intersection with County Road 32. The house dates back to the 1860s. There are two main parts: the brick house, facing the road, was attached to the original wood frame house, which faces east, to form an L-shaped building. The house is built on a rubble stone foundation, with architectural elements popular in the 1860s, including four-over-four sash windows, wooden moulding around the window frames, and bracketed eaves.

Blizzmax Gallery, South Bay

Established in 1993 and located in a converted barn, the gallery was designated for its cultural significance as a prominent space supporting the local arts scene. The gallery showcases contemporary art by Peter Mennacher and other artists and promotes printmaking, painting, and sculpture.

Mennacher House, South Bay 

This 1992 house is a unique example of West Coast modernism, an architectural style virtually unknown in Ontario. Its Trombe walls heat the house with sunlight. The architect, Alice Mennacher, was one of very few woman architects in the 1980s. “I don’t think Alice herself realizes what significant work she’s done,” said Edwin Rowse, a committee member who worked on the designation. “There’s nothing like it elsewhere in the County.”

Point Traverse Lighthouse

The 1881 Point Traverse Light Beacon Station was a saviour for commercial fishers on dark nights. Parks Canada now manages the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, which includes the lighthouse, which has been designated by the federal government under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act. The structure is mothballed: all windows and doors are covered and no one can enter it.