01-28-10
City of Toronto Council to Vote on the Future of Historic McClean House
Toronto City Council will vote this week on the unanimous recommendation from the Toronto Preservation Board to designate John B. Maclean House a historic site.
The province of Ontario issued a stop order in December 2009 to prevent a developer from further altering or damaging the 100-year old house while the City evaluates its cultural and historic significance. The developer began gutting the property while the City was conducting its review, specifically targeting important architectural details such as windows, doors and window trim…
01-17-10
Intention to Designate under the Ontario Heritage Act
A report from the Toronto Heritage Preservation Services to the Toronto Preservation Board recommending Designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
12-22-09
Ontario issues stop order
Ontario issues stop order to prevent further alterations or damage to century home
McGuinty Government to Assess Potential Heritage Value
Minister of Culture, Aileen Carroll, today issued a stop order to prevent further alterations or damage to 7 Austin Terrace, in Toronto.
The stop order gives the Province time to assess the building’s potential cultural heritage significance while ensuring the building is not further altered or damaged.
Mayor Miller of The City of Toronto requested that the Minister intervene after the property owner removed numerous windows and architectural elements.
Built by notable architect John Lyle and the former home of John Maclean, founder of Maclean’s magazine, the home dates back to 1922 and is currently vacant.
The Ontario Heritage Act gives the Province and the City powers to protect buildings that may be of cultural heritage significance.
QUOTES
“This stop order prohibits further destruction of the building and allows the Province to assess its potential heritage significance. I want to ensure the building stays intact while the Province and the City of Toronto each considers the matter.”
— Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture
“This is an important step and I applaud Minister Carroll for her intervention. Residents have been asking for action and this order allows time for assessment and helps protect a building that the community feels strongly about preserving.”
— Eric Hoskins, MPP St Paul’s
QUICK FACTS
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- The Minister of Culture may issue a stop order for any property to prevent alteration, damage, demolition or removal of any building or structure, if the Minister is of the opinion that the property:
- may be of provincial cultural heritage significance, and
- is likely to be altered or damaged or a building on the property demolished or removed.
- A stop order prevents alteration or demolition for up to 60 days pending assessment of provincial significance and which procedures, if any, should be undertaken to conserve the property.
LEARN MORE
Learn more about the heritage conservation in Ontario.
Find out more about Ontario Heritage Act.
Sarah Petrevan, Minister’s Office, (416) 325-1676
Lisa Robart, Communications Branch, (416) 212-3928
http://www.ontario.ca/culture-news
12-22-09
“I am pleased to pass on some wonderful news…”
Counciler Joe Mihevc writes:
I am pleased to pass on some wonderful news from the Minister of Culture of the Province of Ontario. Minister Aileen Carroll has placed a Stop Order on 7 Austin Terrace to allow for a thorough heritage review of the property by the city and the province. The attachment is the press release announcing the order. It is also now posted on the fence of the property. The Minister was asked to put a Stop Order on the property by Mayor Miller late last week.
Residents may have seen in the media or passed by 7 Austin Terrace last week to witness a crew of workers destroying heritage elements of a building that was built by John Lyle (of Union Station and Royal Alex fame), and that housed John MacLean (the founding publisher of MacLean’s magazine).
I know that I speak on behalf of the residents of the entire Casa Loma Community and indeed the broader Toronto community that values heritage in thanking Eric Hoskins our new MPP for St Paul’s for his thoughtful work with the Ministry of Culture on the issue over the weekend.
The City, through its Heritage Services Department, will use the time to undertake its analysis and research and will then make a recommendation to City Council by the end of January.
This decision is important because it signals to the entire development community that heritage values cannot be short circuited for the sake of development expediency.
A special thanks goes to the Casa Loma Residents Association for their passionate and principled advocacy. It once again shows how true it is that a small group of residents can do great things inn their community.
More work is still to be done; today is however an important step on the road to a fair process and a result that will honour our story as Torontonians.
Joe Mihevc
The Casa Loma Residents Association ("CLRA") is a volunteer organization of residents living in the Casa Loma area of Toronto committed to strengthening and preserving the distinctive character, heritage and quality of life in the Toronto neighbourhood bounded by Bathurst to Spadina and St. Clair to Davenport.
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