In 2024, the Town of Huntsville delegated the task of reviewing properties of historical interest on the Town’s register to the Huntsville and Area Historical Society (HAHS).
The move was prompted by concerns over Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster 2022 Act) and the impact it could have on the ability of municipalities to preserve heritage sites. HAHS urged the municipality to move forward with the designation of such sites.
At its March 27, 2024 meeting, council heard from representatives from the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism who put the legislative changes into perspective.
Council heard that changes to the Act include how properties are listed and what happens to those properties once they are included as listed properties on the municipal register as well as changes around timing and restrictions on when a municipality can issue a notice of intention to designate a property. Other changes include the threshold for determining whether a property has enough cultural value to be designated and changes by which municipalities create and manage heritage conservation districts.
At the time, council also heard that Huntsville has 12 registered properties and another 188 properties that require designation by January 2025, or they are removed from the list for five years and could be at risk of demolition during that period. The province has since extended that deadline.
At their May 26 meeting, councillors were informed that the task of reviewing properties on the Town’s register involves digitizing historical records related to the properties. HAHS applied for two funding applications but was only successful in one, which would not be enough to hire a summer student to help with the task.
Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock said she was approached by one of the Society’s members. “Their situation was difficult because of the timing of the provincial election, and they were in the throws of hiring. They had tremendous applicants, and the applicants, of course, were looking for a four-month summer job.” She said municipalities traditionally do play a role in the creation of summer jobs, particularly in areas such as digitizing heritage files.
A resolution was prepared to be voted on by my councillors, giving the HAHS up to $8,000 to be funded from the Records Management Operational Budget. However, staff brought to council’s attention that the municipality has a heritage reserve.
Councillor Cory Clarke asked how much is in reserve and how long the funds have been accumulating without being allocated. The Huntsville Director of Financial Services informed Clarke that there is $9,370 in the reserve, which hasn’t been used since 2013.
Councillor Helena Renwick she represents the municipality on the advisor group and said she supports the project because it is of great importance to the town as well as the municipality. “They are doing work for us,” she noted.
Councillor Scott Morrison also said he supports the project and said the fact that isn’t coming from the operational budget is even better.
Council agreed to move forward with the allocation.
Last month, the Town’s General Committee approved a recommendation to designate Madill Church, located at 254 Old Muskoka Road, as an official heritage building. Input is being received until 4:30 p.m. on June 28.
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