City of Toronto Heritage Property Inventory facts for kids

The City of Toronto's Heritage Property Inventory is a special list of old buildings and places in Toronto. The city keeps this list to help protect their original look and history. When a building is on this list, it means Toronto wants to keep its special old features safe for a long time. There are over 8,000 properties on this list, and more are added as buildings get older. About 4,500 of these properties are officially protected under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Listed vs. Designated: What's the Difference?

You might hear the words "listed" or "designated" when talking about heritage properties. Even though they sound similar, they mean very different things for a building on the Heritage Property Inventory.

Listed Buildings: Keeping an Eye On Them

Sometimes, a building owner might choose to put their property on the Inventory. This is called "listing" it. If a building is listed, the City's heritage team can review any future plans to change or build on that property.

Owners of listed buildings also need to tell the City of Toronto at least 60 days before they plan to tear down the building. The main idea behind listing a property is to keep an eye on buildings that are not yet fully protected by heritage laws. It helps the city decide if there are good reasons to stop big changes to the building's look or structure. Being listed is like being on a watch-list. It gives the City of Toronto's heritage groups enough time to speak up against tearing down or making big changes to these properties, often at public meetings about building plans.

Designated Buildings: Legally Protected

Being "designated" is much stronger than being "listed." When a property is designated, it gets legal protection through a special law under the Ontario Heritage Act. This means the Toronto City Council has the legal power to say "no" to any plans that would harm the building's special old features.

There are two main ways a property can be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act:

• Part IV: This protects individual properties.
• Part V: This protects entire areas, known as Heritage Conservation Districts.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is a part of the Ontario government that helps protect designated properties from big changes or being torn down.

Money for Heritage: Grants to Help

The City of Toronto has a special program called the Heritage Grant Program. This program can give money to owners of designated heritage properties. The grants can cover up to 50% of the cost to help keep the beautiful old look of these buildings.

This money is available for properties designated under Part IV or Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. Projects can get funding if they meet certain rules for heritage conservation work. There are two main types of projects that can qualify:

• Residential houses: You can get up to $10,000 for individual houses.
• Commercial, institutional, multi-residential, and industrial buildings: These larger buildings can also get grants.