Crowdsourcing the Playbook for Vibrant Heritage Places

At our recent conference in Winnipeg, we asked delegates to share successful tools, policies and processes that are making a difference for heritage in their part of the country. The response was tremendous, with hundreds of submissions from across the country. Here is a sampling:

• In Victoria BC, the City created an arms-length non-profit organization to administer its heritage grant program – and funds the non-profit’s activities by allocating a portion of proceeds from the sale of City assets.  https://victoriaheritagefoundation.ca
• For years, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario – an NGO – has organized an annual visit to the provincial legislature where heritage organizations meet with members of parliament to discuss current heritage issues facing the province and raise awareness.
• In Guelph ON, a coalition has been formed of heritage advocates and several natural conservation organizations, and through their collaborative programming and advocacy, they are bridging the gap between natural and cultural conservation.
• In the small community of Peguis First Nation, residents gather monthly to share a meal and discuss the history of their community – discussions that naturally lead to a greater understanding of what is important and what should be the priority conservation activities.
• The incentive to demolish is being tackled via ten new heritage districts in Halifax NS, where new buildings have stringent height limits and a restrictive Floor Area Ratio, which favours the retention of existing buildings.

We believe a Playbook that shares these and more successful strategies would not only be a valuable pan-Canadian resource –  It could also be a powerful benchmark for success that citizens could use to influence practices in their own jurisdictions.

Do you have a successful measure to contribute to the Playbook?  Are you interested in participating in a working group to explore the potential?

Let’s talk!  Email us at nationaltrust@nationaltrustcanada.ca