TAKING THE PULSE OF HERITAGE People care about heritage. We care, and you are here because you care. Thank you. Happy to see many people in the crowd who we recognize through the work we do and our partnerships. Especially excited to see so many members of the public. Tonight we hope you have the big picture in mind, as well as the specific issues that are close to your heart. Everyone in this room has different levels of expertise, interest, and knowledge, and we are looking forward to talking through these ideas together. The goal of this short presentation today is not to provide a comprehensive view of what's happening in the heritage field in the city, but to: give you a sense of the pulse of heritage where we see things going where we want input to let us know if our research and our hunches are leading us in the right direction We want to set up this conversation tonight in a way that captures what YOU want to see happen. 1
HOW DO WE TALK ABOUT HERITAGE? How do we talk about history in the City today? Some of the most visible commemorations of history happen through statues, plaques, and other place markers that say This happened here This person did this thing Presentation: Taking the Pulse of Heritage There are aspects of our city's and citymaker's - histories that are ugly, painful, or complicated to tell. How do we, as a city, change our way of commemorating historical figures and events that are controversial? "King Edward VII Equestrian Statue Floating Down the Don River", Life of a Craphead Performance 2017, Image by Yuula Benivolski How do we make sure that efforts and funding are focused on commemorating the people and stories that have been underrepresented in public spaces? In particular, how can we, as a city, make sure Indigenous history and stories are considered and anchored within and alongside all other interpretation? What concrete steps can be taken to do this, and by whom? 2
HERITAGE IN THE NEWS We want to use an example of a place where all of the different realms of heritage converge: What better place to look at than Kensington Market? Kensington Market has layers of immigrant and newcomer history baked in to it "Kensington", Image Courtesy of Flickr user JessR It's also a place where people continue to start businesses, go shopping, meet friends, create art, and live in buildings that based on their architecture and era, can be considered historically important Kensington, as part of Toronto, was also not covered under a settled treaty agreement until the Toronto Purchase was settled between the Mississauga of the Credit and the Government of Canada in 2010. Buildings in Kensington have been repurposed from surplus school buildings to living spaces, from alleyway garages to art studios. 3
Very recently, the much loved Bellevue Park just underwent an upgrade and transformation this work was partially funded by development funds Kensington has been a focal point for questions around public and private use of space from Pedestrian Sundays to pot dispensaries Kensington is also one of the more recent areas to be studied as a Heritage Conservation District (HCD). Last Fall, after two years of studying Kensington in this way, City Council approved the move from "study" to "plan" phase The HCD process will aim to develop a set of policies and regulations intended to conserve the area's "tangible and intangible" cultural heritage values And just this past week, City Council voted for a one-year freeze on demolitions in Kensington Market while the HCD plan is being developed this was a bit of a surprising move! So here's why we're highlighting Kensington: It's got layers of history and active residents engaged in sharing their history Its buildings and public spaces have been used and re-used for all kinds of cultural, economic, and social reasons It's got tangible and intangible cultural elements that make it a vibrant place It's currently being analyzed and catalogued through a major heritage planning tool intended to conserve its vibrancy, and Council has just pulled a "surprise" move that prevents anyone from demolishing any of its buildings. 4
It brings up questions about the nitty-gritty of preservation bylaws and the Ontario Heritage Act and about "endangered" heritage It is a good example of the balancing act that city staff, members of the heritage sector, and the public try to maintain between preservation and development. So what makes Kensington market, Kensington Market? The buildings? The people? What people do there? It's a heritage ecosystem that blends together all of the concerns and goals we have as heritage practitioners. Can we try to view other places and neighbourhoods in this same "ecosystem" way? THEMES AND LENSES Often, buildings, natural and public space, cultural are dealt with separately in the work that is done in the heritage sector They are also very often dealt with differently through legal Acts, Regulations and Bylaws We want you to tell us if, and how, these different "silos" of heritage can better be broken down "Malting Co", Image Courtesy of Flickr user Wylie Poon 5
We have identified three very broad cross themes in how heritage can be viewed and the benefits it provides: Social cohesion Through volunteerism and storytelling, heritage links people to the past and to one another Helps us to understand each other and through that understanding, Helps us build a more equitable city Economic development Through funds from the government, BIAs, and from the private sector, heritage preservation is funded and adds value Tourism drives preservation, and preservation drives tourism Sustainability Through re-using and renovating historically important buildings and areas, heritage can be incorporated into the built form of a place The stress on our landfills is reduced Our 2015 report focused on discussing policies and city planning and city collections. We have a slightly different focus this time, but some of the matters that were raised in 2015 have not been entirely dealt with: City of Toronto museum: This has been a long time coming what's happening? Survey of Heritage Properties: Is this something that you see as important and relevant? Have you learned about our city's history through the archeological work that's been done recently? Does this area of our heritage need more focus? 6
WHAT IS THE CITY DOING FOR HERITAGE? Presentation: Taking the Pulse of Heritage City planning is integrating multifaceted notions of heritage into its major planning projects. For example: TOCore weaves together and creates planning ideas and legislation to create guidelines for development, transit, housing, public space, and the heritage elements that run throughout all of these areas of citybuilding "Toronto Island Flood", Image Courtesy of Flickr user Sean Marshall More frequent use of Heritage Conservation Districts as a way of valuing the cultural and built forms of neighbourhoods The city is also trying to make it easier to participate in heritage preservation and celebration on a smaller scale Offers grants and rebates to assist homeowners with the cost of preserving heritage homes Offers community grants to support grassroots cultural organizations and events Recently introduced new public permit categories that make it easier for cultural events to take place in city parks 7
WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY DOING FOR HERITAGE? Architectural and urban planning firms: Engage in adaptive re-use of buildings and spaces in order to integrate heritage into everyday living Help create interesting destinations and interpretations of culturally and historically relevant places Clockwise from Top Right: IRSS Conceptual Design, Toronto Council Fire Native Centre; Casey House, Hariri Pontarini Architects; Picturing the Ward Digital Exhibit, Toronto Ward Museum Historical societies and cultural heritage organizations: Worked hard to tell the stories of Toronto's marginalized populations and get them heard and commemorated through relevant and diverse programming Walking tours and digital exhibits, helping to grow the cultural heritage ecosystem Indigenous organizations Forging commemorative spaces and working with city staff and non-profit organizations to ensure untold stories are brought to light and honoured, and a diversity of Indigenous cultures is celebrated Digital experiences of cultural heritage are becoming more common through apps and street markers that blend virtual reality with regular reality 8
Environmental city-builders: Continue organizing to ensure natural spaces are adapted and protected Example: The Don Mouth Naturalization project recently reached milestones in moving ahead with work to re-naturalize the Don River's connection to Lake Ontario ONGOING ISSUES A City of Toronto Museum is closer to happening today than it was four years ago What form should it take? Who should run it? What should be displayed? The city-wide Heritage Survey: Takes a deeper look at creating a system to prioritize buildings and areas that are under threat of development and costs associated with a heritage listing program How will decisions be made around which buildings and resources are prioritized How will Heritage Conservation Districts interact with a Citywide Heritage Survey? "Old City Hall", Image Courtesy of Flickr user mariusz kluznia Heritage and Housing: How can the city balance the need to create affordable housing while also wanting to preserve heritage buildings? Do these ideas clash or can they work together? 9
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Comments and input generated from this Public Forum will be incorporated into the final report, released February 2019. Until then, Keep in Touch and Look for Updates on Our Project Website: http://heritagetoronto.org/programs/special-projects/state-ofheritage-report-2019/ Thank you! 10