Committee receives update on implementation of Ontario Heritage Act changes

The Built Heritage Committee today received an update on the City’s implementation of recent changes to the Ontario Heritage Act.

In 2019, the Province changed the process for the designation and management of cultural heritage resources in Ontario. Under the current framework, a property can only be listed on the Heritage Register for a period of two years. If not designated within that period, the property must be removed and may not be re-listed for five years. The deadline for removal has been extended until January 1, 2027.

Staff have been examining the City’s register and have identified 833 properties as candidates for individual designation. Staff also removed approximately 1,600 properties. Removal does not mean the properties no longer have heritage value, but rather that they are not high priorities for designation. Approximately 900 more properties on the register are within future Heritage Conservation District (HCD) study areas or HCD feasibility areas. At the end of 2026, all properties will be removed from the Heritage Register, to meet the deadline. The City will also create a public-facing online inventory to monitor and track these properties.

Staff still need to review about 1,300 properties still on the register, a significant portion of which are rural properties. Staff will develop a ward-by-ward approach to reviewing all remaining properties, with a particular focus on Kitchissippi and Capital wards. Both wards include a high concentration of listed properties but relatively low numbers of designations. Heritage staff will also focus on modern buildings and bridges.

Staff have also updated their HCD workplan and suggest prioritizing:

• Beaverbrook HCD Study, anticipated to start in Q2/3 2026
• Centretown West HCD Study, anticipated to start in Q2/3 2026 – The study boundary may change pending discussions with the Centretown Citizen’s Association
• Sandy Hill West HCD Update and Sandy Hill Cultural Heritage Character Area HCD Study
• Rideau Canal (Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Colonel By and Echo Drive)
• Bank Street in the Glebe
• Glebe and Powell avenues
• Island Park Drive
• Future HCD feasibility assessments will cover Chinatown

The Committee moved to designate the former CBC building at 1500 Bronson Avenue as a heritage property as it meets six of the nine criteria under the Ontario Heritage Act. The designation comes as staff look at protecting buildings in Confederation Heights.

Confederation Heights is an area approximately 188 hectares in size and bounded by the Rideau River, Hog’s Back and Vincent Massey parks to the north and west, Data Centre Road and Sawmill Creek to the east, and Brookfield Road to the south. The area features several federal buildings in a large campus-like setting, built between the mid-1950s and 1960s as a result of the Gréber Plan, which spurred federal employment development outside of the downtown core.

The building at 1500 Bronson Avenue was originally constructed as the headquarters for the CBC, in 1964. It is a unique example of Expressionist Modernism. The Y-shaped building is six-storeys of reinforced concrete steel. It has historical value through its affiliation with the CBC, serving as its head office for 30 years. The building is the work of David Gordon McKinstry, chief architect of the CBC from 1939 until 1970, and a renowned acoustician. The building is a highly recognizable landmark in Ottawa, due to its iconic architecture and prominent location within Confederation Heights.

There are three other buildings that currently have federal heritage designations in Confederation Heights. These include the Sir Charles Tupper Building at 2720 Riverside Drive, the Sir Leonard Tilley Building at 719 Heron Road, and the former Canada Revenue Agency/Taxation Data Centre building at 875 Heron Road. Federal heritage properties lose their designation after disposal, so staff have been working with the Canada Lands Corporation to look at different ways to recognize, conserve and honour the site’s history as part of any future redevelopment.

Staff recommend negotiating an easement for the rehabilitation of the Sir Charles Tupper Building. The easement would allow the City and the current owner to consider potential uses and options for retention, recognizing that modernist buildings can pose challenges for reuse. While no new use has been finalized, the owner is looking into the feasibility of adapting and incorporating the building into any future redevelopment. Staff do not recommend any immediate action for the Sir Leonard Tilley Building because it is expected to remain with the federal government. Staff do not recommend designating 875 Heron because its construction date, between1968-1970, does not reflect the period of highest significance for the area.

City Council will consider the recommendations from today’s meeting on Wednesday, April 22.

• Agenda