Report to: Development Services Report
Date: February
20, 2007
SUBJECT: Proposed
Demolition of Heritage Buildings
Federal
Airport Lands (Pickering Lands Site)
PREPARED BY: Regan
Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
RECOMMENDATION:
That the
Federal Minister of Transportation be advised that the preservation of heritage
resources is a key strategic objective of the Town of Markham in achieving a quality community;
And that the Town of
Markham appreciates earlier Federal initiatives to encourage dialogue with
local municipalities regarding the future of heritage resources within the
Pickering Lands Site and the cultural heritage objectives of their draft Green
Space Master Plan;
And that Council is
therefore very concerned that the current approach of Transport Canada, to
demolish a number of Heritage
Buildings, will result in the continued loss of locally significant heritage
resources and rural communities, creating a large depopulated area in the
north-east part of Markham;
And that Council is
further concerned that the current Transport Canada approach to demolish heritage buildings is not
consistent with the policies of the Draft Federal Green Space Master Plan;
And that the Town of
Markham respectfully requests that no demolitions of any heritage buildings on
the portion of the Federal Pickering Airport Lands Site within the boundaries
of the Town of Markham, including the buildings located at 9664 York Durham
Line, 10472 Reesor Road and 10987 Ninth Line, occur at this time, and that
strategies for short term and long term preservation of significant heritage
buildings be finalized as per the Office of the Ministry of Transport letter of
July 2005;
And that Council direct
Town staff to continue to work with Transport Canada to develop a cultural heritage protection
strategy:
- that is
consistent with the stated principles and vision for the Federal Green
Space lands, and;
- that will
provide interim cultural heritage protection for the non-green space Pickering Airport lands until such time as the long-term
use of the non-Green Space lands in Markham is determined.
And that Transport Canada be
requested to re-convene the Transport Canada Heritage Steering Committee to
complete its mandate to develop a Heritage Strategy for building deemed locally
significant;
And that copies of this report and
resolution be forwarded to MP’s and MPP’s representing lands within the
Pickering Airport Site, and to the Region of York, Region of Durham, City of Pickering
and Town of Uxbridge, and to the
Rouge Park Alliance;
And that Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Over 130
heritage buildings have been identified within the Federal government’s
Pickering Airport Lands Site, a tract of land that includes portions of
Pickering, Markham and Uxbridge. These lands were expropriated in 1972 to
provide a site for a future international airport in Pickering, as well as buffer lands. A portion
of these lands are included in the Federal Green Space Master Plan area. Within
the Town of Markham portion there are 49 heritage buildings. Of
these, a number are vacant, boarded and therefore threatened by the policies of
Transport Canada with respect to “non-viable”
structures. Three structures in Markham have been identified by Transport Canada for immediate demolition.
In May of
2004, Council received Transport Canada’s Draft Green Space Master Plan,
which includes a cultural heritage objective to protect and enhance heritage
resources on federally-owned lands within the Green Space area of its holdings.
Recent feedback from Transport Canada officials on the treatment of
heritage buildings on its lands appears to be inconsistent with the policies of
the Draft Green Space Master Plan.
The expressed
local interest in preserving heritage buildings on the federal lands resulted
in an earlier (2005) Transport Canada initiative to discuss this issue
with the affected municipalities. Markham’s Heritage Section staff and Mayor Scarpitti have
participated on the Transport Canada Local Heritage Steering Committee and Working
Sub-Committee. The mandate of the Working Sub-Committee is to research and
evaluate heritage resources in order to prioritize which are most significant
to the affected municipality and suggest preservation solutions. The Working
Sub-Committee was to present a strategy for preservation of the significant
buildings to the Transport Canada Local Heritage Steering Committee in late 2005,
but this meeting never occurred.
Staff is
troubled about Transport Canada’s current approach concerning
heritage resources and the imminent demolition of three heritage buildings
within Markham. We
recommend that Council request Transport Canada, through the Minister of
Transportation, to not proceed with demolitions at this time pending the
finalization of a preservation strategy by the Transport Canada Local Heritage Steering Committee.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable at this time.
PURPOSE:
To
inform Council of the proposed demolition of three heritage buildings in Markham within the Federal
Pickering Airport Lands Site and to formally advise the Federal Minister of Transportation of the Town of
Markham’s position regarding the importance
of heritage preservation and its concern with the proposed demolition of
heritage buildings within the Markham portion of the Pickering Lands
Site.
BACKGROUND:
There are 49 heritage resources
located within Town of Markham portion of the Pickering Lands Site
The Federal
Government’s property holdings in north east Markham, under the jurisdiction of
Transport Canada, are officially known as the
Pickering Lands Site. This area, which comprises lands in the Town of Markham, the City of Pickering and to a lesser extent the Town of Uxbridge, is commonly referred to as the Pickering Airport Site. The Markham portion of the site
includes a portion of the Airport Study Area and also lands comprising the Oak
Ridges Moraine and Rouge Park (alternate Little Rouge Corridor Link), covered
by the Federal Green Space Master Plan (See Appendix ‘A’: Pickering Lands Site
Context).
Within the Markham portion of the Pickering Lands
Site, a total of 49 heritage buildings have been identified. These heritage
resources have been inventoried by the Town of Markham and all of these sites have been
included on a list maintained by the staff of Transport Canada.
These
properties were expropriated by the Federal Government in 1972 to be held for a
possible future international airport and buffer lands centred in Pickering. Most of the lands
remain in agricultural use or are vacant. Tenants occupy houses, business
establishments and farms.
Each year, Transport Canada carries out demolition of vacant structures based on
condition assessments, cost estimates for repairs, and financial viability
Transport
Canada has an on-going program
of assessing the condition of the properties that it leases, identifying areas
of concern, primarily in the area of health and safety. Cost estimates of work
required to bring the buildings up to an acceptable standard are carried out
and weighed against recouping the investment over five years and the financial
viability of continuing to lease the building over its estimated remaining life
span.
When
the cost of repair work on a building is determined to be greater than the
financial benefit from projected income, tenants are evicted and the house or
building is boarded pending demolition. Town (Heritage Section) staff has been
advised by Transport Canada that once a building is
vacant and boarded, it will not be re-tenanted, repairs will not be carried
out, and the building will be demolished, notwithstanding any heritage
significance.
Proposed evictions and demolitions
in the City of Pickering have raised the public profile of heritage
preservation issues on the Pickering Lands Site
The
demolition of vacant houses, heritage and non-heritage, is evident when
travelling through the City of Pickering. Houses have been
vacated by tenants; the buildings have been boarded, left in that state for a
period of time, and eventually demolished. In 2005, the proposed eviction of
the tenants of the historically-significant Tullis Cottage (or Barclay House)
in Pickering generated considerable press and
appeals from heritage advocacy groups to compel Transport Canada to preserve the
building rather than demolish it.
The increased profile of heritage
issues resulted in Transport Canada creating the Transport Canada Local Heritage Steering Committee
On
March 11, 2005, the first meeting of
the Transport Canada Local Heritage Steering Committee was held. This meeting
included senior Transport Canada officials, Transport Canada staff, Local MPs,
Regional and Local Mayors and Councillors, and local heritage representatives.
Deputy Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Regan Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage Planning,
were the Town of Markham representatives in
attendance.
At
this meeting, local representatives were advised of Transport Canada’s procedures and
policies regarding buildings on their lands. Transport Canada is only bound to
recognize buildings having federal significance through their evaluation
system. However they indicated that they will work with municipalities and
local heritage groups to develop a plan for dealing with structures that have
local heritage value (the majority of remaining heritage buildings).
It
was made clear by Transport Canada that vacant buildings
are proposed to be demolished (or otherwise removed) even if they have local
heritage significance. However, prior to demolition, Transport Canada will consider allowing
locally significant heritage buildings to be documented and if possible,
removed in whole or in part. Commemoration through a plaque program is another
suggested action.
Concerns
raised by some in attendance included disappointment that many of the current
problems with the buildings relate to the level of maintenance provided over
many years by Transport Canada, as maintenance issues
are now being used as the reason to remove these resources.
Transport Canada’s intended role is to facilitate local initiatives
for preservation of locally significant heritage buildings
Transport
Canada’s intended role is to
“facilitate local initiatives” for preservation of locally significant heritage
buildings. Municipalities and heritage advocates are being asked to work with
Transport Canada staff to develop mid
term and long-term strategies for preservation of structures they deem to be
significant. The strategies will be based on local evaluation and listing of a
selected group of buildings. It is the
position of Transport Canada that the strategies will be implemented by the
affected municipalities, with the costs borne by the municipalities or others,
and that the heritage resources will eventually be removed from the Pickering
Lands Site to off-site locations where they can be preserved. This position is
contrary to the stated cultural heritage Guiding Principles in the draft
Federal Green Space Master Plan.
A working committee to assist the
Transport Canada Local Heritage Steering Committee has been
established
As
a result of the March 11, 2005 meeting, a Transport Canada Local Heritage Working Sub-Committee was formed. This
committee’s role is to produce a final list of locally significant properties,
and to provide recommendations to the Transport Canada Local Heritage Steering
Committee to refine that list, prioritize the buildings on it, and finalize a
strategy for preservation of locally significant heritage resources. Markham’s representatives on
the Working Sub-Committee include Regan Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage
Planning, and George Duncan, Senior Heritage Planner.
The
Working Committee met a number of times in 2005, but did not meet at all in
2006. A Communications Approach strategy was discussed, a draft Terms of
Reference for the Working Committee was reviewed, and a status list of all
heritage buildings/sites has been produced. All of these items are confidential
at this time. It was decided that heritage buildings in all three affected
municipalities were to be evaluated using a standardized evaluation system,
based on the Town of Markham’s model. During 2005, the Sub-Committee evaluated 33
buildings, the vast majority of which are located in Pickering.
Research
and documentation of vacant buildings is the immediate priority
Transport
Canada allocated funds for
some of the research required in order to undertake the evaluations. Transport Canada staff prioritized which
properties should be researched using the limited funding available. Research
and documentation of vacant buildings is the priority for both the work of
Transport Canada staff and for the
Working Committee.
The
Working Sub-Committee is to report back to the Steering Committee
At
the outset of the Working Sub-Committee’s meeting, Transport Canada staff had targeted the
final report to the Steering Committee on preservation priorities and
preservation strategies to be completed by May 2005. Discussion of the scope of work, limited time
and staff resources and other factors indicated that this deadline was not
feasible. Instead, it was decided that a preliminary report would be prepared,
and a final report would be presented to the Steering Committee later in the
year. The Heritage Steering Committee was never
reconvened. No meetings of the
Sub-Committee were held at all by Transport Canada in 2006.
Markham Council requested Minister of Transport to halt demolitions
and develop a comprehensive preservation strategy in 2005
On
May 24, 2005, Markham Council adopted
a recommendation addressing the demolition of heritage buildings on the federal
airport lands (See Appendix ‘B’). Council
asked that no further demolition activity occur until strategies for short term
and long term preservation of significant heritage buildings are
finalized.
In July 2005, the Town received a reply from Leslie
Swartman, Chief of Staff on behalf of the Minister of Transport which was in
response to the resolution from Markham Council (see Appendix ‘C’). The Minister’s response indicated that “Transport Canada has directed Public Works and Government
Services Canada to place all properties with potential
heritage significance as the lowest priorities on any list identifying
properties for demolition”. Further,
the letter states that “Transport Canada will not take action on local heritage
structures until the properties have been assessed in accordance with criteria
being developed in support of the Heritage
Strategy” and “the resulting strategy
will address many of the concerns that you raised in your correspondence”. As noted, there currently is no Heritage
Strategy in place by Transport Canada,
and Transport Canada
has not been scheduling meetings of the Heritage
Steering Committee nor the Working Sub-Committee.
Transport Canada announces proposed
demolitions of heritage buildings in Markham and Pickering
In
January 2007, Transport Canada announced the proposed
demolition of seven dwellings and five barns.
Three of the dwellings are located in Markham (one on the Federal Green
Space Initiative lands and two on the Airport Study Area). None of the barns are in Markham. Mayor Scarpitti received a letter regarding
the demolitions and notice was published in local newspapers (see Appendix ‘D’).
The
letter indicated that Transport Canada was legally committed to demolish these
residential dwellings as this was the ground for issuing the original Notices
of Termination under the Ontario Tenant Protection Act.
Demolition is planned to occur over the next few months and Transport Canada indicated it was open
to receiving our plans for a photographic record, measured drawings and/or
salvage of architectural elements prior to demolition.
Heritage Markham recommends that the Town take action
In
response to the public notification of the demolitions published in the
newspaper, Heritage Markham passed a recommendation at its January 10, 2007
meeting strongly objecting to the proposed demolitions and recommending that
the Town and Transport Canada work together to find a solution to retain these
resources on their original sites. The
committee also asked that the local federal Member of Parliament be requested
to support this action.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Mayor responds to Transport Canada letter due to deadline
A letter was sent by Mayor
Scarpitti to Transport Canada
on January 23, 2007 in
response to the letter advising of the proposed demolitions. (see Appendix ‘E’). The letter informs Transport Canada
that in Markham we require our
property owners and the development industry to preserve heritage resources and
find workable solutions and we should not expect any less of our federal
government. Mayor Scarpitti requested
that the demolition of the properties be deferred at this time and that
Transport Canada and the affected municipalities continue to work together as
partners to develop the absent Heritage Strategy.
Identified heritage properties possess significant cultural heritage
value to Markham
The three properties are identified in the Markham Inventory of Heritage Resources as listed heritage buildings:
9664 York Durham Line – Ebenezer Madill House, c.1855
10472 Reesor Road – John Boyles House, c.1870s
10987 Ninth Line – Jacob G. Hoover
House, C.1890
Two of the buildings have been evaluated by the Transport
Canada Heritage Working Group and the third
has been evaluated by the Town of Markham. All were found to possess significant
cultural heritage value to our municipality.
The Ebenezer Madill House was also given the highest rating possible in
1974 by a joint federal-provincial panel that surveyed all the heritage
buildings on the airport lands. The
rating indicated: “Structures of such architectural merit and cultural importance
as to be significant in the broadest context.
All these structures may fairly be regarded as of provincial
significance, at the very least, and warrant preservation at any cost,
preferably on current sites”.
Markham Council should reiterate its concerns
regarding the treatment of heritage resources on the federal lands
Markham Council should re-confirm
its main recommendations as detailed in the May 24, 2005 resolution and recommend that the proposed
demolitions be deferred at this time.
FINANCIAL TEMPLATE:
(external link)
Not applicable
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The preservation and re-use of
heritage resources, and their diversion from landfill sites is an important
environmental objective.
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
None
ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:
The
preservation of heritage buildings helps to achieve a quality community by
maintaining local historical landmarks, thereby contributing and strengthening
the sense of community identity.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Should
Council adopt the recommendations, the Clerk’s Department will send
correspondence to the Minister of Transport and other stakeholders.
RECOMMENDED
BY:
________________________ ________________________
Valerie
Shuttleworth, MCIP., RPP Jim
Baird, MCIP., RPP
Director of Planning & Urban Design Commissioner of Development
Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix A - Pickering Lands Site
Appendix
B - Markham
Council Resolution, May 24, 2005
Appendix
C - Letter from the Office
of the Minister of Transport, July 28,
2005
Appendix
D - Letter from Regional
Director-Pickering Lands Branch, January
5, 2007
Appendix E - Mayor Scarpitti Letter, January 23, 2007
Q:\Development\Heritage\SUBJECT\federal\DSC
report Feb 2007.doc