Ontario Heritage Trust facts for kids

The Ontario Heritage Centre at 10 Adelaide Street East in Toronto is the headquarters of the Ontario Heritage Trust.

The Ontario Heritage Trust (French: Fiducie du patrimoine ontarien) is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural heritage of Canada's most populous province, Ontario.

History

It was initially known as the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board during the 1950s. It was incorporated into the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1968 by the Progressive Conservative government of John Robarts. Its name was changed to the Ontario Heritage Trust in 2005 by an amendment to the Ontario Heritage Act. The Trust's current chair is Harvey McCue.

The Trust's most recognizable work is the Provincial Plaque Program. Since 1956 (at Port Carling), it has erected over 1,200 of the now-familiar blue and gold plaques, the vast majority of which are found across Ontario, but also in the United States, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The Trust also owns a number of historic buildings.

The Ontario Heritage Trust Building—also known as the Birkbeck Building or the Ontario Heritage Centre—at 10 Adelaide Street East in Toronto is the headquarters of the Ontario Heritage Trust. It was used as the exterior of the "125th Precinct" in Lower Manhattan in the 2012 television series Beauty & the Beast.

Ontario Heritage Trust buildings