Part 2: Heritage Enforcement Tightens as Hudgin House Nears Opening and Cemetery Ownership Advances in PEC - 09/06/2023

This section of the meeting focused on how updates were presented, how committee members responded, and what actions were taken as a result. Discussions moved through a series of heritage related items, with staff and presenters providing context before members raised questions and clarified next steps.

Across the agenda, the committee reviewed ongoing projects, addressed operational and policy considerations, and gave direction where needed. The sections below outline who spoke on each item, how the discussion developed, and how those conversations translated into formal decisions and next steps.

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Hudgin House restoration

The committee received a presentation from Cheryl Anderson on the Hudgin House restoration, where she outlined recent construction milestones along with ongoing fundraising efforts supporting the project. She confirmed that the goal remains to open the site to the public in early 2024. During discussion, John Hirsch asked about the timeline for hosting educational and community activities, to which Anderson responded that exterior use is already possible while interior access is expected to follow next year once remaining work is completed. Following the discussion, the committee formally received the update, indicating continued acknowledgment and support of the project’s progress.

St. John’s Cemetery acquisition

Discussion then moved to the St. John’s Cemetery in Waupoos, where Adam Goheen, Director of Operations, provided background on the site’s status as an abandoned cemetery and explained the County’s current role in maintaining the property while working toward formal ownership. John Hirsch raised questions regarding whether any funds or historical records may still be held by the former owner and noted concerns about potential long term costs. Goheen confirmed that staff are continuing efforts to obtain any available records or financial information, while also emphasizing the importance of securing ownership to prevent future uncertainty or disputes. The committee received the update, allowing staff to proceed with preparing a report for Council consideration.

Heritage permit enforcement direction

The committee also held a detailed discussion on heritage permit enforcement, with Mike Kelly, Supervisor of Enforcement Services, outlining the current framework under the Ontario Heritage Act. Concerns were raised by John Hirsch about situations where work proceeds contrary to approved permit conditions, particularly where heritage features could be permanently altered or lost before enforcement action can take place. Valrie Porter supported these concerns, noting that complaint based systems may not respond quickly enough to prevent damage and highlighting the need for clearer and more effective enforcement tools. A motion was then brought forward by John Hirsch, seconded by Ross Hamilton, directing staff to draft improved enforcement procedures, including options for stop work measures. The motion carried.

Heritage designation and street naming

Updates were also provided on ongoing committee initiatives, including the Heritage Designation Working Group and the Street Naming Task Team. John Hirsch reported that the working group is preparing its first set of voluntary heritage designations for upcoming review, while also noting that Base31 property owners are not pursuing designation at this time but remain committed to preserving the site.

R. John Garside shared that the Street Naming Task Team is developing a process to collect public input and create a list of new street names for use across the County, including opportunities for ward specific contributions. These updates were received by the committee.

What it means for the residents

The continued progress on the Hudgin House restoration indicates that a new publicly accessible heritage space is nearing completion, with plans in place for educational and community use once the building is fully opened. At the same time, steps toward acquiring St. John’s Cemetery show that the County is moving to secure long term oversight of abandoned heritage sites, while maintaining them in the interim.

The direction to develop clearer heritage permit enforcement procedures suggests that future cases involving non compliance may be handled with more defined processes, including options that could prevent work from continuing when it does not follow approved conditions. Ongoing work on heritage designations and street naming also points to increased structure in how heritage properties are recognized and how community input is incorporated into future planning decisions.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 56:00. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.