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Preservation stories don't always have bleak endings. Individual and/or community efforts often result in successful outcomes. Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses passed into Law – Backgrounder New Bylaw Protects Banting Homestead Designation Victory for Two Lakeshore Churches Future Shaping Up for Saskatchewan’s Endangered Bell Barn Background to Bill S-215,  Cape Sable Lighthouse, N.S. Photo: Chris Mills Introduction: Canada’s built heritage is the most vivid physical representations of the country’s cultural heritage. Lighthouses, like railway stations, have a special significance to Canadians. They are iconic structures. Many have significant architecture. But their importance stems more from their role in Canadian history. Often standing in relative isolation on islands or headlands, they are important artefacts of Canada’s maritime history. Many lighthouses have been guiding fishermen and mariners to port since the age of sail, and they stand as a testament to the tragedies throughout history that have befallen thousands of Canadian fishermen and mariners who, due to harsh conditions of climate, coast, and sea, were unable to bring their vessels to port.The purpose of the new Heritage Lighthouse Legislation: The new Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses:
Significant features of the legislation:
What Happens Next: Timetable for the implementation of the legislation
Next Steps The legislation will come into force in two years in order to enable Parks Canada to develop the criteria for heritage designation, with the assistance of an advisory council, for approval of the Minister of the Environment. Communities will have a further two years to petition the Minister for heritage designation and to propose community uses for any building surplus to DFO operational requirements. Why an Act to protect Canada’s heritage lighthouses is needed: All provincial and territorial jurisdictions and, by delegated authority, all municipal governments in Canada have binding heritage statutes and related legal measures, such as covenants and easements, to protect and guide the management of heritage property. Within the federal jurisdiction, only railways stations and now lighthouses are subject to such binding legislation. This type of federal legislation has proven to be a highly effective tool for preserving heritage buildings. Prior to the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act, the Government of Canada recognized only six heritage railway stations in the entire country through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and even these had no legal protection. Today, 166 heritage railway stations have been designated by the federal government. An exact parallel exists with heritage lighthouses. Provincial heritage legislation and municipal bylaws cannot apply to federal buildings. Fourteen lighthouses have been recognized as National Historic Sites by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, but legally these buildings can still be demolished or disposed of by a federal custodial body. The current federal heritage designation practice occurs under the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO) which evaluates the heritage significance of federally-owned heritage buildings, but there is no public input in this process. Under FHBRO a heritage building can either be Classified or Recognized: 22 lighthouses are classified, and 104 are recognized. But FHBRO is policy only, and does not afford the same binding protection as legislation. Once a lighthouse leaves the federal inventory, even FHBRO protection ends. Prior to this new heritage lighthouse legislation, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans had no explicit mandate to preserve and manage heritage resources. The federal government has designated the Minister of the Environment to serve that role. If a lighthouse is designated as a federal heritage building, DFO must consult with FHBRO – though this is not mandatory. Current disposal practice according to the Treasury Board Guide to the Management of Real Property requires the Government to make “best efforts” toward protection, but does not make a covenant or other form or statutory protection a condition of sale.  L. to R.: Barry MacDonald (Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society), Senator Pat Carney, Senator Lowell Murray, Chris Wiebe and Carolyn Quinn of the Heritage Canada Foundation meeting to discuss progress of lighthouse bill, Ottawa, February 28, 2008. Heritage lighthouse legislation has been almost ten years in the making. A Private Member’s bill that originated in the Senate to protect heritage lighthouses was first introduced in April of 2000 as Bill S-21, and subsequently as Bill S-43 (May 2002), Bill S-7 (October 2002), Bill S-5 (February 2004), Bill S-14 (October 2004), Bill S-220 (October 2006), and finally Bill S-215 (October 2007). Current examples of lighthouses in need of attention Cape Sable Lighthouse, Nova Scotia  Seal Island Lighthouse, N.S. Photo: Barry MacDonald A lighthouse was first established on Cape Sable Island in 1861. It was a wooden, octagonal structure, 50 feet in height. This lighthouse was replaced in 1924 by the present “classic” design, concrete structure which at 101 feet is Nova Scotia’s tallest lighthouse. This lighthouse is one of only two in Nova Scotia to be given “Classified” status under FHBRO. Very little maintenance has been performed, despite strong recommendations from local residents: it is devoid of paint and its concrete is crumbling. Seal Island Lighthouse, Nova Scotia Estevan Point, British Columbia This lighthouse is of particular historical significance, having been designed by Canadian architect, Col. William P. Anderson. It is a fine example of his “flying-buttress” towers which he designed for the Department of Marine and Fisheries in the early part of the 20th century. This lighthouse towers 127 ft. (from base to weathervane) and is surmounted by a classic “Chance Brothers” lantern room. Built in 1907, it is still one of British Columbia’s manned lightstations. Due to problems with water leakage to the lantern room, several options are apparently being examined by Coast Guard maintenance. One of these options involves removal of the lantern room from the lighthouse for repairs. It has been the experience, in the Maritime region at least, that once these lantern rooms are removed, they do not get re-installed. A case in point is Devil’s Island, at the entrance to Halifax harbour, where the lantern room was removed, the gallery deck sealed and a solar panel and optic installed in its place. The lantern room now lies, in pieces, beside the lighthouse. Presentations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO), April 3, 2008:
For further information contact: New Bylaw Protects Banting Homestead The 100-acre birthplace and family farm of Sir Frederick Banting became a cultural heritage site on November 13 after New Tecumseth town councillors passed a bylaw enacting its designation. The small Ontario municipality must now approve any alterations to the property. “This is a wonderful step in the right direction,” said Peter Banting, a descendant of Sir Frederick, the co-discoverer of insulin. Mayor Mike MacEachern said the bylaw would help ensure the “community can always look to the Banting farm as a place where the history of Frederick Banting began. But it is only the beginning of finally ensuring that the property is restored and is a fitting tribute to Dr. Banting’s legacy.” Edward Banting bequeathed the Banting homestead to the Ontario Historical Society in 1999. As the OHS isn’t in the practice of preserving historic properties, the Ontario Historical Society Foundation (OHSF) was created to hold it. The fight to preserve the Banting homestead was launched three years ago. It has drawn support from across the globe and made its way into Parliament and the Ontario Legislature. The issue of its designation was appealed to the Ontario Conservation Review Board by the OHSF. OHS president Chris Oslund said his group was in an “awkward” position, being that it is strange for a historical society to object to land being designated as heritage and instead selling it to a developer. He said the decision came after years of deliberation and discussion amongst the board. Solmar Developments, who has a purchase agreement with the OHSF, proposed protecting 4.7 acres of the farmstead, leaving the remainder open for development. At the hearing in September, the town successfully argued the cultural and historical significance of the entire 100-acre site, and the review board ruled in favour of the designation. “The whole farm does have an association with Frederick Banting because he did live there as a child and he did return there as an adult,” said Julie Harris, president of Contentworks, an Ottawabased company specializing in cultural resource policy and historical research hired to provide an independent heritage assessment of the site. “A farm landscape without fields is no longer a farm,” she noted. Alliston Herald, Ont., 11/11/07, 11/13/07 and 09/17/07; New Tecumseth Free Press online, 11/13/07. Designation Victory for Two Lakeshore Churches
Persistence has paid off! In late September the town of Lakeshore agreed to fully designate the two Catholic churches—Annonciation in Stoney Point and St. Joachim. The province’s Conservation Review Board advised the town to designate both. “To not designate these churches would be a cultural and heritage crime,” said Councillor Paddy Byrne at the September council meeting. He spoke against the recommendation of chief administrative officer Mike Phipps to only designate the belfry and spire of St. Joachim Church. “It’s one beautiful creation,” he said. “You can’t pick and choose.” The review board agreed with SOS-Églises and the Windsor branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario that a “partial designation fails to recognize the historical and cultural significance of the St. Joachim church property,” and said the town “should reconsider this position.” Pat Malicki, Windsor ACO president, said “It means that we’ve been right all along. We knew these were important buildings.” Still, it is not quite over yet. The Diocese has the option of appealing the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. According to the SOS-Églises website, the church buildings are “the cultural and architectural centres of two French-Canadian communities in southwestern Ontario. They are part of a diminishing visual legacy of a 300-year-old community that traces its origins to the foundation of Fort Pontchartrain in New France in 1701.” Annonciation Church, built in 1905 at Stoney Point, has a twin in Bécancour, Quebec. Both were designed by church architect Louis Caron of Nicolet in Quebec. The Bécancour church was declared a historic monument in 1962. St. Joachim was designed and built in 1882 by town parishioners. Of vernacular inspiration, it has a simple Romanesque style with details borrowed from other churches from the region and from Quebec. Barn-building techniques were used in its design, and the main beams were made from nearby 300-year-old trees. A consultant’s recommendation that fast-growing Lakeshore needs one or two new libraries has raised hope of a possible use for the 126-year-old church. Mayor Tom Bain said that while council has not yet reviewed the library expansion proposals, the St. Joachim church building could be an option. One drawback is that the cost of renovation is likely to be significant given the church’s deteriorated state. The St. Joachim Church “would make a beautiful library,” agreed André Chenier of the SOSÉglises group. He said that historical designation would make it easier to find support from national and provincial bodies like the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Windsor Star, Windsor, Ont., 08/31/07, 09/17/07, 09/22/07, 09/26/07; SOS-Églises www.soseglises.com. Future Shaping Up for Saskatchewan’s Endangered Bell Barn Last February, the Heritage Canada Foundation included the historic Bell Barn of Indian Head, Saskatchewan, on its Top Ten Most Endangered Places list. Ravaged by harsh weather and years of neglect, the unique round fieldstone barn’s future was turning to rubble. Built in 1882 by Major William Bell, the barn is one of Saskatchewan’s oldest agricultural buildings. The 20-metre-diameter round barn was built with evenly spaced gun ports around its circumference and a central silo that doubled as a lookout tower.
The barn is important for many reasons, not least of which is what it symbolizes of the brief period of 19th-century corporate farming in Saskatchewan. William Bell created the Qu’Appelle Valley Farming Company, a 260-sq.-kilometre farm that included 25 cottages for workers to whom Bell issued daily instructions using an early telephone line that ran along the fences. It was the first telephone system outside Regina at the time. Bell enticed a number of Ontario investors to support the project. Despite promising beginnings, it eventually failed due to unpredictable weather conditions and the loss of horses and supplies to military commanders engaged in the 1885 Riel Rebellion. As of November, the society has collected over $15,000 and several in-kind donations. About $600,000 is needed to restore the property. “Residents have said, “If you ever do something, let us know and we’ll help. We’re now going to take them up on it,” said Mr. Korvemaker. Community interest and support have been overwhelming, as was evident at the society’s first public meeting, which attracted over 125 people. Once rebuilt, the property will serve to interpret the history of the Bell Barn, the role of corporate farming in the early settlement of the West, and the work of the stonemasons. The society is hoping to open the site to the public in 2009. The plans also include the preservation of the barn’s original foundation for further archaeological research. Former Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock and Indian Head actor Eric Peterson, currently starring in the television sitcom Corner Gas, accepted Honorary Patron and Honorary Chairman positions with the Bell Barn Project. “We are particularly pleased to have Dr. Haverstock and Mr. Peterson demonstrate their support for the Bell Barn Project by agreeing to serve in these two honorary positions," said Frank Korvemaker, Bell Barn Project chair. For more information about the project or to make a donation, contact the Bell Barn Society at Box 1882, Indian Head, Saskatchewan, S0G 2K0 or visit www.sahs.ca |
For more than
seven often
contentious
years, Save Our
Sanctuaries (SOS)-
Églises group of
southwestern
Ontario has
fought to save two
threatened century-
old village
churches. In 2005,
St. Joachim Church was included on the Heritage
Canada Foundation’s Top 10 List of Endangered
Places (Héritage, Winter 2005).
Local activists, led initially by the late Dave Aldous and now by Frank Korvemaker, are determined to prevent the barn’s disappearance from the Prairie landscape. The recently formed Bell Barn Society of Indian Head has developed a four-year project plan to relocate and rebuild the structure. Indian Head
resident Ken Braden has donated a five-acre parcel of land located just
30 metres from the Bell Barn’s present site. 
