Raise the Hammer

Excellent article Shannon. A couple of points stood out - 1. " ... the most that heritage planning staff can do is ask for a Documentation and Salvage Report. This was done for the Brandon House, but this information was (not) shared with neither the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee nor the Inventory Research Working group." This is disturbing and indicates that there are issues with the process itself. Concerned citizens, following the long, arduous process leading to designation, are at one point, arbitrarily shut out for no reason that I can ascertain, leaving one to assume that the process itself is a sham or 'window dressing'. 2. "... protection' of a building is a long and difficult process, while obtaining a demolition permit is easy."
Why do we value empty parking lots or often (but not exclusively) poorly built new structures, slapped up in a few months over a well-crafted, beautifully proportioned building with historical and heritage value? The charm of Ancaster 'Village' is not derived from the endless suburban tracts that you can find anywhere near large urban areas in Anytown, Canada. No the beauty and charm of Ancaster lies in the gorgeous, historical residences and commercial buildings, churches, hotels etc that front onto Wilson St. Why the local councillor is uninterested in this is puzzling. Is it really worth demolishing these valuable assets for a few dollars more in tax assessment? Obviously, for some, with little or no knowledge of the town's history or heritage, it is. As Joni Mitchell sang, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone". Kyles suggests, "you can plead your case to the 13 City Councillors, who have to date demonstrated neither awareness of architectural value nor interest in built heritage. We need to change the political will of this city." I believe that a small number of councillors may not fit this description but nevertheless, if we care about preserving what we currently have in terms of our built heritage, we must write or email all our councillors regarding this matter. Here is a link to their email addresses: https://www.hamilton.ca/council-committe... Grant Ranalli, Hamilton

Comment edited by positive1@cogeco.ca on 2020-04-17 08:10:27