National Trust Endangered Places List 2024

On December 12, the National Trust for Canada released its 2024 Endangered Places List. The list shines a national spotlight on heritage places at risk and the challenges they face.

This year’s list highlights many of the underlying barriers to preserving places that are valued by communities. Losing historic places erases part of our shared past, removes landmarks from communities, and throws away embodied carbon. This year’s list illustrates how difficult it can be for historically marginalized communities to save places of importance to them.

“The National Trust Endangered Places List draws attention to the diversity of Canada’s heritage places and the systemic challenges they face,” says Patricia Kell, the National Trust for Canada’s executive director. “We hope the release of the 2024 List will help support local community groups involved in saving these critical heritage places.”

Since its launch in 2005, the Endangered Places list has been an effective tool at bringing attention to places at risk. The goal of the List is to raise awareness, engagement and support in order to find sustainable futures for these important places. Listings are also used by community groups, heritage advocates and cultural heritage stakeholders to promote awareness about special places in danger across Canada.

The National Trust Endangered Places List is developed from nominations, as well as reports and news items the National Trust followed throughout the year. It aims to incorporate a wide range of places in danger across the country, from historic homes, institutional buildings and industrial properties to Indigenous cultural landscapes.

New Listings

Église Sainte-Marie (Church Point, Nova Scotia) – Immediate Threat

Église Sainte-Marie towers over the landscape in the small community of Church Point, roughly midway between Digby and Yarmouth in Nova Scotia’s District of Clare. Erected in 1903-1905 by 1,500 local volunteers, it is the largest wooden church in North America at 185 feet or 56.5 metres tall (the height of a 19-storey building!) with each of the 70-foot columns in its nave hewn whole from local trees. Forty tons of rock were placed in the bottom of the steeple to act as ballast against the heavy winds blowing off nearby St. Mary’s Bay. Inside, the high vaulted ceilings nave and 41 stained glass windows imported from France, fill the visitor with a sense of grandeur and awe.

Designed in the French and Romanesque revival styles, construction was overseen by brilliant local master carpenter Léo Melanson, who had previously built Université Sainte-Anne’s main building next door in 1899. While not formally educated, Melanson was able to build Église Sainte-Marie out of wood by converting French architectural plans for a stone structure, and with no other comparable wooden structure in North America to use for reference. In 1944, he received a medal from Pope Pius XII for his work. Beyond its exceptional architectural significance, the monumental church has profound cultural heritage significance for community members, many of whom can trace their ancestry to Acadian families who arrived in the area in 1769 from Massachusetts, having survived the 1755 Acadian Expulsion from Nova Scotia.

When the church closed in 2019, the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth gave the local volunteer group Société Édifice Sainte-Marie De La Pointe until 2021 to raise the funds for deferred building maintenance of $3,000,000 and to find a sustainable use for the vast building. If they raised the funds, the Société had agreed to take on ownership of the building. In 2021 a further fundraising extension was granted, but when that ultimately could not be met the archdiocese deconsecrated the church in November 24, 2023 and put it up for sale in January 2024. This past November, the Municipality of Clare asked the Diocese to repair a finial on the steeple as it was a safety risk, and shortly thereafter, the Diocese put out an RFP for complete demolition of the church in spring 2025. “The day that the wrecking ball would show up would be one of the saddest days of my life,” said Pierre Comeau, head of the former Société Edifice Sainte-Marie de La Pointe, in a 2024 media interview.

Militia Arms Store (Fredericton, NB) – Immediate Threat

Erected in 1832, the modest two-storey Georgian-style Militia Arms Store building is the only surviving wooden structure in the Fredericton Military Compound National Historic Site of Canada (better known as the Garrison District), which housed the British garrison at Fredericton from 1784 until 1869. Now administered by the Department of National Defence (DND), the building was originally used to store weapons and ammunition for the local militia. In 1882 a rear extension was added and the building was converted into a military hospital. It has seen several uses since then, including serving as a warehouse, temperance hall, a caretaker’s residence and, until recently, the staff offices for the City of Fredericton Tourism Department.

In March 2024, the building suffered a fire, largely contained to the 1882 addition, with the more historically significant 1832 portion sustaining water damage. In July, further to a fire damage assessment DND recommended demolition, and in a statement DND concluded that the simple, utilitarian building “does not possess significant heritage characteristics.” The City of Fredericton and the Association Heritage New Brunswick have voiced strong opposition to the potential demolition of this important Garrison District structure. “If it was torn down, the national historic site designation of the military compound would be radically transformed and cheapened,” said Fredericton architectural historian John Leroux in a July media interview. “We need to do better than this. There should be no reason not to try harder to save that building.”

Canada’s Chinatowns

Canada’s Chinatowns are not museums, they are vibrant communities bringing together people, culture, histories, and practice in richly layered urban heritage areas. But this living heritage is at risk of loss if concerted action isn’t taken. Founded on what was once “undesirable land,” today most of Canada’s Chinatowns sit on some of the most expensive real estate in urban cores and have become targets of land grabbing and speculation. In addition, gentrification has brought rising commercial rents to many Chinatowns (for example Vancouver (EPL 2016), Victoria, and Calgary) and this has driven out legacy businesses, and led to higher housing costs that have displaced traditional communities.

Montreal’s Chinatown, for example, was threatened in 2020 by massive new condo developments, leading to a public campaign to protect the area, which ultimately culminating in provincial and municipal heritage designations in 2022. While the physical fabric of Montreal’s Chinatown is now more secure, the intangible cultural heritage and web of relationships that animate the area remain at risk, a threat common to most North American Chinatowns. Other Canadian Chinatowns, like Lethbridge, Alberta are on the brink of physical erasure with just one building remaining, after a series of recent fires and demolitions. Beyond their obvious significance in the history of people of Chinese ancestry in Canada, Chinatowns historically have also played a critical role as places of sanctuary and sites of belonging for many marginalized groups. They are among the last-surviving ethnic enclaves in many cities and are often a stand-in for other marginalized communities that have been wiped off the map.

Groups like the Montreal-based JIA Foundation have been providing leadership on the issues facing Canada’s Chinatowns, and documentary films like Big Fight in Little Chinatown (2022) are helping to spotlight the urgency of the situation and galvanize action, but more needs to be done to safeguard and revitalize the precious and increasingly precarious intangible cultural heritage of these vital urban communities.

Canada Malting Co. Limited (Montréal, Quebec)

The long-abandoned Canada Malting Ltd. Site, located in the historically working-class neighbourhood of Saint-Henri, is one of the Lachine Canal National Historic Site of Canada’s most prominent landmarks, and one of the rapidly gentrifying canal’s last undeveloped industrial properties. Built in 1905, the Canada Malting Co. Ltd plant was the largest malting facility in Canada by the mid-20^th century and the second largest in North America, processing barley into malt largely for the brewing industry. The vast site encompasses multiple structures built over seven decades with the dominant features being the 5-storey brick malthouse and offices, eleven 37-metre-high cylindrical terracotta clay silos from the 1920s (the last of their kind in Canada), and 18 concrete silos dating to 1930. In 1961, the malthouse was decommissioned, and in 1980, Canada Malting Ltd. completely abandoned the site, which rapidly succumbed to vandalism.

In 2012, the City of Montreal officially recognized the heritage value of the property. Over the past decade, a series of residential developments have been proposed, with community groups like Solidarité St-Henri and “À nous la Malting” (Malting is Ours) calling for predominantly social housing and rehabilitating the historic structures on the vast site. Currently caught up in a long-running court case over ownership, the former industrial plant represents a tremendous opportunity to simultaneously revive one of Montreal’s industrial icons and address the city’s housing crisis. After 40 years of abandonment, however, time is running out for these high-profile and deteriorating historic structures.

Boyd Building (Winnipeg, MB)

Prominently located on Portage Avenue in downtown Winnipeg, the 9-storey Boyd Building is the best example of “Chicago School” architecture in Manitoba, with its steel-frame construction boasting a richly decorated façade of cream-and bronze-coloured terracotta, custom-made in Chicago. When it opened in 1913 the ground floor was retail space and the majority of the offices above were occupied by dentists and physicians, and the building was soon known as the Boyd Medical Centre. Winnipeg designated the building a Municipal Heritage Resource in 1981.

Emptied of tenants in 2017 for renovations, the building has sat vacant ever since. Heritage Winnipeg and the Manitoba Historical Society have grown increasingly concerned for the building’s future, given that other historic downtown buildings like the St. Charles Hotel (EPL 2023) have fallen into cycles of deferred maintenance and neglect. The Boyd Building is representative of a much larger problem with vacant commercial space in downtown Winnipeg, an area that currently struggles with crime and safety issues. The nearby historic Hudson’s Bay Company Building (EPL 2021) is in the process of being transformed into a service and housing hub by the Southern Chiefs’ Organization Inc., and the redevelopment of nearby Portage Place Mall is proceeding, but the area is in transition. The Boyd Block is a solid, beautiful building and a keystone structure on Portage Avenue, one that could be readily adapted for housing and other purposes, but its future is very uncertain.

Gravelbourg Convent (Gravelbourg, SK)

The Convent of Jesus and Mary (also known as the Gravelbourg Elementary School), in the small southwestern Saskatchewan town of Gravelbourg (pop.1000), operated as an education facility from 1918-2015 and a community space from 2016-2023. In 1995, it was recognized as part of the Gravelbourg Ecclesiastical Buildings National Historic Site of Canada, a designation that also includes the Cathedral and Bishop’s Residence.

Constructed between 1917 and 1927, the heritage value of the large (90,000 sq ft), 4-storey structure lies in both its architectural excellence and its historical associations. Designed by the distinguished French-Canadian architect J.E. (Joseph) Fortin, the building exemplifies Classical Revival design (with French-Canadian and Baroque influences) in its monumental proportions and is crafted from regionally sourced Claybank brick and Tyndall Stone. The convent is an important historical marker of French settlement in western Canada. Over the years, it operated as a non-denominational public school, girls’ boarding school, and convent, while also serving as a hub of learning and religious instruction for the surrounding region.

When the Gravelbourg Elementary School, which took over operation of the facility in 1971, moved to a new building in 2016, the Town of Gravelbourg agreed to become the owner of the building while working to turn it into an assisted living complex. Despite the substantial efforts of municipal staff and community volunteers, the project eventually faltered due to funding roadblocks and the disruption of the COVID pandemic. From 2016-2023, the former first floor of the convent was well utilized as a community space and rented out to artists, non-profit organizations, and small businesses. In 2023, the Town evicted the tenants and closed the convent to the public due to high heating and maintenance costs.

In December 2022 the convent suffered significant vandalism with light fixtures, doors, and religious statuary destroyed. Despite the Town’s efforts to secure the building, it remains vulnerable to break-ins due to its age and vast size. The convent has been vacant and without heat or water/sewer since April 2023, and there is growing evidence of deterioration – crumbling plaster, buckled flooring, cracks in the walls – and water damage. There is still community support for saving this impressive landmark, and there is belief it would make an exceptional assisted/retirement living facility, rental accommodation, artistic retreat, hospitality accommodations, or other mixed-use space. In January 2023, the Town released a call for Expressions of Interest for the adaptive re-use of the convent, but unfortunately no proposals were submitted.

Building 200 (Whitehorse, Yukon)

Blending modern and classical elements in its smooth, streamlined concrete surfaces, the federal government’s striking Building 200 (also known as the Former Northwest Highway System Headquarters) is prominently situated on the Alaska Highway on Whitehorse’s northwestern edge. Completed in 1952, Building 200 was designed by the Department of National Defence for use as barracks for over 150 personnel associated with the Alaska Highway upkeep and improvements, but it soon pivoted to use as headquarters office space. In a period of postwar development in the Yukon characterized by hastily erected buildings, the quality materials and high-level of craftsmanship devoted to Building 200 demonstrated the federal government’s commitment to the territory’s future and Whitehorse’s status as its new capital city in 1953. The Classical Moderne style rectangular two-storey building features an elegant central portico with concrete columns, flanked by long, symmetrical wings with distinctive, streamlined bands. In 1992, Building 200 was listed as Recognized by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO).

In early December 2024, Building 200 was posted on the federal government’s Canada Public Land Bank, a register that by nature seems to imply the demolition of existing structures. It is not clear how the long-established heritage value of the building will factor in the redevelopment of this property, as there is no readily discernable heritage process in place to assess potential projects. Building 200 is just one example of the ambiguity currently surrounding the federal government’s 1,337 Recognized or Classified heritage buildings, and only about 42% of federal buildings have been evaluated for heritage value.

This lack of clarity around federal heritage buildings is especially concerning as the federal government is poised to embark on the largest disposal of federal properties in Canadian history, divesting itself of many thousands of the 38,572 buildings it owns. Currently, the federal “Portfolio optimization: Disposal list” contains 106 surplus properties, but this will soon grow dramatically.

Many of the challenges facing Building 200 and other federal heritage buildings arise from the fact Canada is the only G7 country without laws to protect heritage places owned by the federal government. It may seem absurd, but legally there is nothing standing in the way of the Parliament Buildings being demolished. Bill C-23 Historic Places Act of Canada, stalled at second reading in the House of Commons since 2023, was poised to help provide some of that legislation protection. Efforts must be made to resume Second Reading debate on this important bill, so it can receive consideration at the Commons Environment Committee on its way to becoming law.

Past Listings at Immediate Risk

Centennial Museums – Royal Alberta Museum & Ontario Science Centre

The Former Royal Alberta Museum (EPL 2016) in Edmonton, Alberta – a Canada Centennial project and midcentury modern gem – is mere days from total demolition, the victim of a provincial government with no apparent will or capacity to unlock reuse opportunities for this beloved public asset. “The building belongs to every single Albertan,” said Senator Paula Simons in the media. “It’s just a magnificent building that’s got art literally carved into the walls. I mean, what are we even doing?” Similarly, in Toronto, the Ontario Science Centre (EPL 2023) – a boldly innovative and internationally lauded building designed by the late Raymond Moriyama – faces obliteration after a provincial government decision to not repair its roof and move a reduced version of the museum to Ontario Place. Ironically, the exceptional cultural landscape of Ontario Place itself (EPL 2012), flagged by the World Monuments Watch, is threatened by a massive spa and re-development project.

The threats to these iconic Canadian museums, known to millions of visitors, underscores the increasing precariousness of provincial-territorial and municipal public buildings, many of them from the mid-century modern period. For example, once valued public spaces like Regina Central Library or Halifax Memorial Library have been declared prematurely obsolete or sit vacant. Adaptive reuse of heritage buildings is climate action, and Canada needs provincial-territorial and municipal governments to develop expertise and vision to actively transition these long-cherished public assets.

Historic Bridges

The federal government seems poised to demolish the monumental Alexandra Bridge (EPL 2021), an engineering marvel recognized by the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering, which has connected Gatineau, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario below Parliament Hill for 125 years. This is indicative of the limited regard generally for Canada’s historic bridges. While a small number of historic bridges like the High Level Bridge (1913) in Edmonton and the Quebec Bridge (EPL 2015) in Québec City see upgrades to extend their lives to 2100, most are prematurely declared obsolete.

Other levels of government, similarly, do not have the heritage value of bridges on their radar. In New Brunswick, several of its famous covered bridges [EPL 2018] – for example the William Mitton and Wheaton bridges – are once again endangered. And elsewhere in Canada, historic bridges are similarly threatened: Arlington Street Bridge (Winnipeg); Little Current Swing Bridge (Manitoulin Island, ON); and CPR Railway Bridge over the Rideau River (Ottawa). Current government heritage processes at all levels of government do not adequately consider the heritage value of these landmark engineering works.

Historic Places of Faith

St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Halifax (EPL 2008) – a rare survivor of the Halifax explosion of 1917 – was long considered “Saved,” but was recently re-endangered when a structural assessment deemed the building unsafe. There are an estimated 15,000 – 20,000 faith-related buildings in Canada and a national strategy and funding is needed (uniquely, Quebec has had the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec since 2014) to address the growing number of places of faith at risk and ripe for adaptive reuse. While these landmark buildings are often rich with cultural heritage value and beautifully constructed, they also typically provide valuable “third spaces” for non-profit and community groups (e.g. day cares, senior’s activities, municipal voting stations, meeting space), so their potential loss brings substantial community impacts.  Many of the places of faith currently in jeopardy across Canada have large deferred maintenance bills due to congregational decline – for example, Holy Trinity Church (Winnipeg) and Saint-Clement de Viauville Church (Montreal) – which severely hampers adaptive reuse options.