MWDigest (February 2017) by Municipal World

February 2017

Heritage Regeneration also inside

FCM President

Municipal Vision Alive on National Stage

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flashback New Life for Old Schools

... for Canada 150 and Beyond

Coming Events

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Inside the February 2017 issue of

E B I R BSC

CONTENTS

Access great feature articles like these, plus our must-read regular columns each month!

MUNICIPAL WORLD – CANADA’S MUNICIPAL MAGAZINE

CANADA 150

HERITAGE REGENERATION

NOW

FEBRUARY 2017 volume 127, number 2 EVOLUTION OF ROLES IN

HERITAGE CONSERVATION

NORTHERN BUILDING

25 9 FORESTS 27 TALK IS CHEAP 13 BEYOND 29 POSSIBILITIES 15 MUNICIPAL VISION 17 WHY RFPS OFTEN SUCK 23 CITY OF RICHMOND WINS PRESTIGOUS

PRINCE OF WALES PRIZE

AN EMERGING ACHITECTURE

OLD GROWTH

QUEST FOR UNIFIED ACTION IN

LOGGING VERSUS TOURISM

HERITAGE BUILDINGS

INFORMING

HERITAGE CONSERVATION SECTOR

NEW USES... AND NEW

FCM PRESIDENT:

ALIVE ON NATIONAL STAGE

ENGAGING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

THE REGULARS

COMING EVENTS

EDITOR’S CORNER

5, 39 2

ENVIRONMENTAL ZONE

GOVERNANCE ZONE

MANAGEMENT ZONE

THE READING ROOM

MWDigest is a monthly digital publication, highlighting and supplementing content available to Municipal World magazine subscribers. For information on advertising and submitting content for this publication, please contact Anthony Gibbons at 1-888-368-6125 ext. 206.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Heritage Regeneration - for the Sesquicentennial and Beyond As we approach the sesquicentennial, heritage buildings offer a chance to celebrate what makes our communities unique. See how three communities have revitalized such buildings, creating resilient and sustainable local assets.

FCM President: Municipal Vision Alive on National Stage Municipalities need to have a partnership with the federal government in order to ensure that communities are well served in the future. Read about FCM's concerted efforts to bring municipal priorities to the national agenda, through federal platforms and ensuring that municipalities' voices are heard in the federal budget process.

Online Exclusive!

Editor’s Flashback This online-only feature column highlights select articles from past issues of Municipal World’s monthly print magazine. In this issue, we share “New Life for Old Schools” – from the Feb 2015 issue.

Coming Events

FEBRUARY 2017

Editor’s Corner Canada 150

Susan M. Gardner

New Year’s Eve saw the kickoff of celebrations commemorating the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, with major events taking place in 19 urban centres across the country. July 1, of course, will mark the nation’s 150th birthday, and large celebrations are now underway and being planned across the country – happening not just on Canada Day, but throughout the year – with benefits lasting well into the future. Many communities are taking advantage of this important opportunity to showcase local heritage, and are aiming to promote (and show) community engagement at its best. Planning for the sesquicentennial celebrations, Canadian communities are coming together to create meaningful events and activities that are focused on rejuvenation. For example, there are 150 communities nationwide taking part in the Canada 150 Mosaic Project. This project consists of 80,000 paintings and 150 individual murals that, when united, will form one gigantic

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mural mosaic, including all the provinces and territories in Canada. The end result hopes to produce a lasting symbol of cultural diversity across Canada’s history. (Read more on the project at Canada150Mosaic.com.) This is just one example from among thousands of initiatives that will be taking place this year. (For those not already involved in an activity or initiative, the Government of Canada’s “Canada 150” website highlights ways to get involved as a volunteer, organizer, or participant.) As Natalie Bull discusses in the lead article this month (opposite), the sesquicentennial can be an important stepping stone for creating vibrant futures for communities – promoting both sustainability and regeneration. Canada 150 is a celebration of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and there will be great stories coming out of these projects. We plan to highlight more of these stories and initiatives with you in the year ahead, as we celebrate Canada together.

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Heritage Regeneration – for the Sesquicentennial and Beyond “John A. MacDonald slept here” may be a cliché, but it makes sense as a marketing strategy for heritage sites in 2017. Historical landmarks – Laurier House National Historic Site, Riel House National Historic Site, and others – are certainly worth a visit as we reflect on 150 years of Confederation. However, many other heritage places without the same “historical heft” are also worth celebrating for the role they play as cor-

nerstones of vibrant and sustainable communities. Canada abounds in examples of heritage places that have been renewed and regenerated to serve a community need, attract creative philanthropy, and tell exciting stories to new audiences. The field of heritage conservation itself is actively rethinking its purpose, returning to its roots as a social movement willing to address a larger mission, and looking

forward with a renewed emphasis on how heritage places can serve a pracNATALIE BULL is Executive Director of the National Trust for Canada, a national registered charity that leads and inspires action for places that matter. The National Trust’s new portal <regenerationworks.ca> is a powerful source of tools, tips, and webinars for municipalities and grassroots groups alike.

February 2017

MWDIGEST

tical and relevant role in their communities. Heritage advocates and their communities can be proud of old places that are preserving local history, and more. The Kentville Library in Nova Scotia; the former Sandbar Tavern in Hamilton, Ontario; and the former Train Station in Lachute, Quebec are three regeneration stories worth celebrating.

Renewed and Rewritten: The Kentville Library, Kentville, NS When the United Church on Kentville’s Main Street was put up for sale three years ago, it became one more empty building on Kentville’s oncevibrant main street. When the town library on the outskirts was later demolished, its collection of books was moved to the basement of the abandoned church. Today, the Kentville Library is an extraordinary “win-win” story that shows the power of philanthropy to bring a community together. When local leaders heard about the chance to win $40,000 funding from the National Trust’s This Place Matters competition in the fall of 2016, they saw an opportunity to bring heritage and community together, and described their project in a way that engaged supporters’ hearts and pocketbooks: “A bustling new library on Kentville’s Main Street matters for its ability to bring a community together. In a building whose history and heritage is steeped in community service, a new library matters to library patrons, young and old, and every age in between. It matters to businesses, it matters to families, it matter to kids and adults alike looking for a safe and welcoming space, and it matters to our community at large.” During the competition, the Kentville project team was everywhere: on social media, in local business offices, and on the street. Sarah Leslie, chair of the Friends of the Kentville Library, hit the streets to ask for donations, tablet in hand. She and proj6

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February 2017

The Kentville Library won $40,000 and crowdfunded an additional $59,299 more during the National Trust’s This Place Matters competition in fall 2016. Photo: Friends of the Kentville Library

ect team leader, Kate Collins, were sitting at the local rink watching their daughters’ hockey game as voting and donating came to an end. “We were watching the numbers, and saw that another group had just raised a large donation,” says Leslie. They jumped on their phones to get the final donations that would clinch their win. Not only did they win the top prize in their category, they also crowdfunded an additional $59,299, bringing home almost $100,000 for the project. The result is a former community landmark saved and repurposed; the main street revitalized by a powerful new community attraction; and the promise of a fabulous, modern, innovative, and community-focused space in the in the former sanctuary of the beautiful old church.

From Notorious to Noteworthy: 193 King Street, Hamilton, ON A former biker bar and crack house, the Sandbar Tavern in Hamilton’s International Village had a long history of notoriety that contributed to public sentiment that this part of King Street was not safe to visit. In 2006, the province seized the tavern under the Civil Remedies Act, 2001 and gave it to the city. And then, it sat vacant for years, a liability on the municipal ledgers and a blight on the street. By 2014, Susie Braithwaite, executive director of the International Village Business Improvement Area, was urging the city to either sell the tavern, or demolish it. Hamilton’s

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The recently restored historic station in downtown Lachute, QC, one of the projects recognized by the 2016 National Trust Cornerstone Awards. (MRC d’Argenteuil Gare de Lachute). Photo: MRC d’Argenteuil

economic development department, led by Glen Norton, was serious about renewing downtown Hamilton, and knew that older commercial heritage buildings, if sensitively adapted, could be powerful economic generators. In 2014, the city put the property up for sale. The media chimed in with the headline “Would You Buy This Former Hamilton Crack House?” Fastforward to October 2016, when delegates at the National Trust’s 2016 conference in Hamilton found themselves at the former Sandbar Tavern as part of a special day-long session on downtown regeneration sponsored by Hamilton Economic Development. Peter DeSotto (of the famed music ensemble Quartetto Gelatto) and partners Alvaro Valencia and Marvin Grimm are adapting and reinventing the formerly notorious space for commercial and residential use. DeSotto shared plans for ground floor and basement spaces that will house new food and microbrewery enterprises, and led the group through second- and third-floor rental loft apartments under construction. The National Trust’s Jim Mountain, who led the regeneration workshop, knows that sometimes all a 8

MWDIGEST

February 2017

project needs are people with passion and vision: “The Sandbar’s story exemplifies Hamilton’s overall downtown regeneration direction, thanks to business, civic, and community-minded leadership with vision and hope.”

Back on Track: Lachute Train Station, Lachute, QC Once the showpiece of an important railway hub, the 1929 Lachute train station was closed in 1981, and abandoned for nearly 30 years – but, it was not forgotten by citizens. In 1992, it was designated under the federal Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act; and, in 2007, it was recognized as an historic monument by the provincial government. That same year, the municipal government – the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality – acquired the Lachute station and began planning an exciting new vocation for the building as a community-centred hub. Today, the handsome former station houses the regional business development association, the tourism office, and other municipal services. The open groundfloor lobby accommodates receptions and community events. The project team took great care to preserve the important historic elements of the

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building and restored interior spaces to their former glory, while accommodating entirely new functions. The project was recently awarded an Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award for Building Heritage from the National Trust for Canada. Robert Pajot, regeneration project leader at the National Trust, credits its success to the municipality’s willingness to step up to the plate and revive the station’s public vocation: “This successful project truly reflects a forward-looking vision of how heritage buildings can play an ongoing role to strengthen and enrich their communities.”

Heritage for the Sesquicentennial … and Beyond As these stories show, regeneration works. Heritage advocates and municipal governments alike can find new meaning and new traction in working with communities to ap-

Peter DeSotto shares exciting plans for the former Sandbar Tavern in Hamilton with National Trust conference delegates. Photo: National Trust for Canada

proach older and sometimes endangered buildings, exploring new uses that help create resilient and sustainable communities. In 2017 and beyond, “regeneration works” can be a powerful ral-

lying cry to encourage Canadians to make wise use of the buildings we’ve inherited from the past – and reinvent them as the cornerstones of a vibrant future. MW

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MWDIGEST

Looking to gain more exposure for your RFPs, bids, and tenders? Reach more vendors, consultants, and service providers? Increase the number of qualiďŹ ed bidders for projects?

WE CAN HELP!

RFP & BID LISTINGS on municipalworld.com/rfp

John Lewis

WHY RFPS OFTEN SUCK

(and how to make them better)

Most of us have a complicated relationship with Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Whether it is the folks who issue them or those who respond to them, no one seems to find this a satisfactory process. We all agree that a transparent process is essential in the spending of public dollars, but there are many things that can be done to improve how these processes occur. This article is designed to explore the ways the RFP process could be changed to help support better communities. While many RFPs address commodity-based exchanges, this article focuses on projects where professional and creative services are required.

zz The scope of work in the RFP was so unclear that there was a cost difference of $200,000 between the highest and lowest proposals. zz No budget was shared to give a sense of expectations and context. zz Both these factors resulted in what ended up being a significant waste of time and resources for most of the firms that put a proposal together. More information would have made it clear the project scope was not a good fit for many firms before they ever put pen to paper.

templates and regurgitation by bidding firms. The end result is an approach that isn’t remotely close to encouraging the most creative or productive solutions for our communities.

Common Issues

Solution #1: Share your budget.

In the vast majority of RFPs, there is a significant lack of clarity around what Worst-Case RFP Scenario the host organization is actually looking Comes to Life for. Too many proposals and approaches are based on guesswork; and, in the end, Last year, our firm put together a that benefits no one. RFP documents often proposal for an Alberta municipality. It have the following general qualities: was quite unique, as it had elements of zz There is a lack of clarity on the recommunity engagement, visioning, straquired work. tegic planning, land use planning, and z z No budget is shared. economic development. The description of work wasn’t great and they didn’t share zz The key information is buried in a mountain of legalese and procedural the budget. Unfortunately, we were unsucinformation. cessful in our bid. We requested a debrief in order to learn and improve. Here’s what zz Very limited context is provided to explain where the project came from and we were told: why it exists. zz There were 14 firms that bid. Quality proposals take a significant zz The bids ranged from $10,000 to amount of time and effort from pro$210,000. The average bid value was ponents – we estimate 40 to 50 hours around $40,000. for a well thought out proposal, based zz The actual budget they had for the on conversations with our colleagues. project was $10,000. The winning That’s 560 hours and around $56,000 proposal’s budget was $12,000. They of combined effort put forward on the were able to find the extra $2,000. worst-case scenario RFP – a project that This is probably the best (worst) exhad a $10,000 budget. It is this kind of ample that we have seen of what can be situation that creates a domino effect of so problematic about the RFP process:

How to Make It Better I understand why the RFP process is necessary. It just appears to have gone down a track that has lost sight of the core purpose: building better communities. With that in mind, here are eight concrete solutions for municipalities to consider. This is a really big deal. If I asked you to go buy me a car, one of your first questions would be “How much do you want to spend?” Otherwise, you might suggest a Tesla, when I only have the budget for a used Pinto. Sharing a budget helps potential proponents understand the level of effort and ambition that a municipality has for a project. I have heard people argue: “If we give out the budget, the proposals will just work up to that number.” Yes, they absolutely will. But, isn’t that what budgets are for? They reflect the level of resourcing the organization is willing to put toward a project. Any responsible firm will build their proposal to that budget, and the initiating organization can compare apples to apples. JOHN LEWIS is President and Founder of Intelligent Futures – a firm that works at the intersection of urbanism, sustainability, and engagement. The firm has won awards from the Canadian Institute of Planners, the Alberta Professional Planners Institute, and the International Association for Public Participation. John can be reached at <john@intelligentfutures.ca>.

February 2017

MWDIGEST

ment. One of the benefits of bringing in an “outsider” is that you get to access a All too often, the actual point of the diversity of skills, ideas, and experiences RFP is a needle in a haystack of legalese. of a range of firms. In a recent RFP we looked at, the first An alternative to this fictional engage18 pages of the document featured the ment RFP could be: “We are looking for rules, insurance requirements, and legal support to develop and deliver an engageterms. The first time there was any actual ment program that accesses the wisdom mention of what firms should build the of the community into (name the issue) proposal around appeared on page 19, and and builds stronger relationships with the only 11 percent of the information in the municipality.” document was project-specific. This has a As much as you can, frame your couple of consequences: needs in terms of a challenge or question zz It means that the people reading the that requires a solution. This frees up the document have to spend a lot of time creativity of the bidding firms and opens sifting through information that won’t the door to a wider array of possible soluhelp them decide if is this an opportions. tunity they want to consider, or what Solution #4: Start your RFPapproaches they can recommend. writing process with your zz It sends a message that the initiating evaluation criteria. organization prioritizes bureaucracy over impact, which can lead to fewer In speaking with folks who put tofirms bidding and fewer options to gether RFPs, a common practice is to get a previous RFP, then make changes where consider. the content varies. At the end of this proSolution #3: Frame your cess is a tweaking of the evaluation criteproject as a problem, ria. If you start with the evaluation critechallenge, or question. ria, then you will be crystal clear on the skills, characteristics, and experience that Often, an RFP will outline the very you are looking for in order to facilitate specific details of the work to be done. your decision. This level of clarity will This means that the initiating organization greatly focus the actual RFP, with better has pre-predicted the approach required outcomes all around. to address their issue. This can serve to Solution #5: Put page greatly limit the creativity that proponents limits on the substantive can bring to the table, which obviously reparts of the proposal. stricts potential solutions. An example of If you post an RFP, you (hopefully) an engagement RFP could be something will be receiving many submissions to like: “We need engagement services to consider. Why not make it easier on yourdeliver six open houses for our project.” self and limit the length of the proposal? Open houses are just a tool. Going This forces proponents to actually write straight to an RFP that’s based on open a proposal that is tailored to the needs of houses would exclude the discussion of your project, as opposed to copying and any other tools or approaches to engage-

Solution #2: Put first things first.

pasting material from previous proposals. By challenging proponents to share their ideas in a confined space, you are able to evaluate their ability to deliver tailored solutions for your context.

Solution #6: Share your governance structure. Just about every RFP we’ve seen asks for the organizational structure of the bidding team; but, almost none share their own organizational structure. It’s equally important for the bidding firms to understand the relationship of the actors on the client side, as this can have an impact on recommended solutions or how a project is managed.

Solution #7: Make your document a searchable PDF. This seems very specific, but as you are looking through a 50-page document to find a key word (like budget, for example), it saves a lot of time and hassle for the firms investigating the RFP. A searchable PDF saves time and grief for everyone involved.

Solution #8: Share your budget. I know, I already mentioned this. It’s a really big deal. (Refer to Solution #1.)

Building Better Communities At the end of the day, the focus of an RFP process should be on creating better communities and improving the lives of citizens. By making some of these changes, responding firms will have a clearer sense of what a project’s needs are, and they will be able to develop novel solutions to a problem. Municipalities will benefit too, since a thoughtful RFP is likely to attract the best firms. MW

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MWDIGEST

APPRAISERS February 2017

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Clark Somerville

FCM President:

MUNICIPAL VISION ALIVE ON NATIONAL STAGE

From Corner Brook to Churchill to Coquitlam, municipalities of all sizes are central to Canada’s success. It’s in municipalities where we tackle national challenges, like economic growth and climate change. It’s in municipalities where we spark the innovation that drives a globally-competitive and more sustainable Canada. And, it’s in municipalities where we go to work, buy a home, and raise our families. This is the message that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has been bringing to the federal government. It’s the core of an ongoing advocacy campaign led by FCM that has secured unprecedented federal commitments for municipal priorities and put local issues at the heart of the national agenda. Now more than ever, the federal government understands the vital role municipalities play in shaping Canada’s future. The result is a historic moment for the municipal sector. How we got here is a story of impressive unity and strength by municipalities. This is a story that has the potential to touch the life of every Canadian.

Getting Local Priorities on the National Stage In late 2014, FCM launched an initiative called Hometown Proud, which encouraged Canadians to share the best of their community. It was an opportunity to highlight local priorities ahead of the upcoming federal election. Almost immediately, Canadians from urban centres and rural towns to northern and remote villages began to share their

community’s hopes, and ideas to make them happen. The response was terrific, and a sign of things to come. FCM seized on this momentum to make the case for local priorities in the 2015 federal election. The board of directors began reaching out to candidates from all parties, asking them to support priorities that are core to the quality of life of Canadians. We equipped municipal leaders from across the country with tools to help them organize local debates and track the issues that matter to their communities. In June, FCM unveiled its federal election platform – A Roadmap for Strong Cities and Communities. Our election message was simple: investing in the places where we live provides a clear and measurable return by creating good jobs, stimulating economic growth, and giving every Canadian the opportunity to reach their full potential. In other words, community building is nation building. Any party that was serious about building a better Canada and improving the lives of Canadians would need to put forward a plan that strengthens municipalities. That’s exactly what happened. Over the course of the 78-day campaign, every major federal party responded – fully or in part – to the priorities laid out by FCM. There were 155 references to infrastructure in federal party platforms. There were 88 references to housing, and another 35 to public transit. We saw commitments to wastewater treatment and rural broadband. The very issues that Canadians told us they cared about were now front and centre. Municipal leaders weren’t just part of the national

agenda – we were helping to shape it. Election 2015 was a huge step forward for the municipal sector. In the weeks that followed election day, the unprecedented municipal advocacy grew even stronger. We quickly released Cities and Communities: Partners in Canada’s Future, a document that outlined actions the government should take within its first 100 days to move quickly on its commitments. Within days of being elected, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed to FCM his commitment to work with municipalities to make good on his ambitious agenda. We began meeting regularly with key cabinet ministers, from Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi to Finance Minister Bill Morneau to Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna. It was, quite simply, a degree of high-level engagement I had never seen in my nearly 20 years of municipal elected office.

Partners to Build Our Communities FCM was fast becoming a key partner of the new federal government as they looked to deliver on their infrastructure agenda. The first milestone in that process was the government’s inaugural budget, which FCM knew would be a vital opportunity to tap into CLARK SOMERVILLE is President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities – Canada’s national voice for local governments. He is also a town and regional councillor in the Town of Halton Hills and Halton Region, Ontario.

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local innovation and expertise to achieve national goals. The municipal sector has long been a trusted and effective partner of the federal government, from the Federal Gas Tax Fund to the New Building Canada Fund. So, FCM’s pre-budget submission, Rising to the Moment, made the case for strengthening that partnership. The 2016 Federal Budget – released March 22 – delivered some critical first steps in the government’s historic 10year, $120-billion infrastructure plan. Phase 1 included nearly $12 billion in investments in local priorities like water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, as well as public transit and affordable housing. Not only that, it increased to 50 percent the maximum federal contribution to new infrastructure projects – a key ask of the municipal sector – and, it entrusted FCM with a pair of new programs to help municipalities with asset management and climate change. The investments didn’t stop there. In November, as part of the fall fiscal update, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that the federal government was expanding Phase 2 of its infrastructure plan to $81 billion over 11 years – up from $48 billion over 8 years. The new investments included a $2 billion fund dedicated to rural, remote, and northern infrastructure needs, which was something FCM urgently recommended. The fiscal update as a whole represented a major upgraded commitment to the municipal priorities put forward by FCM. Put together, these transformative investments will shape communities of all sizes, in every region of Canada. They’ll mean more growth, more jobs, and stronger communities. And, they’ll show once again that solutions to some of this country’s biggest national challenges can be found in our cities and communities.

Preparing for a Stronger Future Of course, our work is far from over. Much of the federal government’s infrastructure plan has yet to be allocated. That’s expected soon. It’s these upcoming commitments that will make up the bulk of the long-term funding municipalities rely on. And, it’s these upcoming commitments that have the potential to 14

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transform our communities and reshape Canada. With so much at stake, FCM and its members continue to renew and revitalize the federal-municipal partnership. Within weeks of the fall fiscal update, FCM was back on Parliament Hill for our annual Advocacy Days, highlighting municipal priorities for Phase 2 of the federal infrastructure plan. Over the course of four days, our board of directors met with a remarkable 190 Members of Parliament and Senators, including 14 cabinet ministers. It was by far our biggest Advocacy Days yet. FCM’s message was that Phase 2 infrastructure investments are a historic opportunity to strengthen Canada by strengthening communities – and that municipal leaders have a central role to play. We also discussed with our federal partners the urgent need to tackle the housing crisis that’s undermining Canada’s potential as an inclusive, prosperous nation. As Prime Minister Trudeau said at FCM’s annual conference last June, municipalities are best positioned to tap into local expertise and identify projects that offer the best return on investment. After all, municipal leaders understand what’s at stake in our cities and communities, and we have a strong track record of delivering infrastructure projects efficiently, fairly, and with accountability. So, when local governments are engaged in bringing forward solutions, it’s Canadians who benefit the most. In the 19th century, it was grand railway projects that built this country. In the 20th century, it was new ports and networks that connected us to each other, and to the world. Today – more than ever – nation building is happening in our cities and communities. It happens when we build prosperous, vibrant, and sustainable places to call home. It happens when we ensure 21st century transit and housing that attract the best and brightest. And, it happens when we support the quality of life Canadians deserve. With Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation just around the corner, we’re closer than ever to building the Canada of tomorrow. As municipal leaders, this is our moment to turn our vision into reality. MW

February 2017

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New Life for Old Schools Community, health, and heritage – and the closing of historic schools

“Let’s Save Vineland Public School” said the postcard being handed out at a local festival in the Town of Lincoln recently. The original schoolhouse building, built in 1895, is set to be demolished to make way for a new, larger school building accommodating students from Vineland and three other local schools across this West Niagara town, which were recently closed. While, in this particular case, the site of the Vineland school building will remain a school, loss of a historical landmark and the closure of other local schools in this largely rural town have caused much debate and concern over the potential negative impacts on the community. It’s a story that’s playing itself out in all corners of Canada. The progressively low national birth rate since the end of the baby boom has resulted in decreasing school enrolments, which has, in turn, caused significant economic strain on school boards. These factors, combined with the different functional requirements of schools in the high-tech world and government policy aimed at achieving consistency in educational standards, have resulted in the widespread closure of neighbourhood and community schools in favour of large campuses located on the edge of the community. In Lincoln, it all began with an accommodation review launched in June 2012, stemming from statistical projections that pointed to a 52 percent utilization rate at existing schools by 2021. By February 2013, after six months of com-

munity consultation, the process was complete and a decision made. Three schools – Campden, Maple Grove, and Jordan Village – would close. Vineland would remain open, but the existing school would be demolished. For the rural communities of Lincoln (like Campden Village, which lost its school) this decision would change their village forever. No longer would children walk to school, or play in the sports fields; no longer would teachers patronize the general store; no longer would this public school, which brought the community together for generations, exist. The impacts would be far reaching.

Strong Links to Community Perhaps more than any other historic building, schools are inextricably intertwined with the history of the community. Generation after generation may have passed through their doors, and spent the bulk of their formative years there. The architecture of historic schools was often built with the intention of establishing a community landmark, reflecting architectural designs with high quality craftsmanship and materials. They are similar in stature to historic lighthouses, railway stations, or municipal buildings in the way they represent the visual face of the community. In recent years, society has come to the realization that, while many lighthouses and railway stations may be obsolete in their original function, they are key landmarks that are important to

preserve in order to reinforce a sense of community, identity, and historical character. Special legislation has even been adopted at the federal level to provide local communities with a tool to help conserve them. So, how do we conserve our historic schools? There are three key elements to consider – the school function itself, the community aspect of schools, and the heritage architecture.

School function The school function is an important part of community heritage. It’s how a community like Vineland functioned for generations with a local school at its centre. Of the three elements, school function can be the most difficult to retain, since there are many factors that go into the decision, and the demographics of communities naturally evolve over time. One simplistic solution is to ensure that there is demand for a school. Residential densities and demographics must continue to support an economically-sustainable enrolment. Residential

MICHAEL SEAMAN, MCIP, RPP is Director of Planning for the Town of Grimsby. Previously, he was a manager of heritage planning with the Town of Oakville, and a senior heritage planner with the City of Markham and Town of Aurora. All three communities were winners of the Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership. Michael can be reached at <mseaman@grimsby.ca>.

February 2017

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development is largely dictated by market demand and available servicing. In Lincoln, the three schools that were recently closed were in areas with limited access to services, so increasing residential densities was not an option. Where urban conditions allow for it, achieving sustainable residential densities could certainly be a factor to consider in official plan review processes when establishing minimum densities for new development in areas served by existing schools.

There are laws in place to ensure that a community can maintain the open space or building for a community function. School boards must offer surplus schools to a list of preferred agencies such as other school boards, colleges, universities, and the municipality for 90 days before the school goes on the open market. Some, such as Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, are forward thinking in this area. They have established protocols for providing early notice to preferred agencies of potential closures beyond the 90 days, to allow Community aspects municipalities and communities time to What about the community and decide on the best use of land for their recreational function of schools? In neighbourhood. The catch is that, in Onmany older communities, schools have tario and other jurisdictions, the school provided the primary walk-up commuboard is bound to sell the property at fair nity recreational space, such as sports market value. This can be significant; fields and gymnasiums, for generations. and, without advance financial planThe traditional recreational venues of a ning, the funds for acquisition may not community are a part of their heritage, be available. Even in municipalities like every bit as much as the school building Hamilton, where procedures exist to faitself. When such space is lost due to cilitate proactive decision making, there a school closure, the impact on neighare so many city schools facing closure, bourhood patterns, sense of community, it’s simply not possible to buy them all. identity, local economy, and health can It is clear that municipalities need to look be significant. Society already has many more closely at the “what if?” of potenchallenges in ensuring the health and tial school closures and build the future fitness of our young people, and when acquisition/development of school sites a soccer field that children can walk to into their official plans. is replaced by one that is reachable only A successful example of repurposing by car, spontaneous instances of active of a closed school site as community play are diminished. recreation space is the Queen Elizabeth

Park High School site in Oakville. The school closed its doors for the last time in 2004. The Town of Oakville decided to purchase the land and former school from the school board. Extensively renovated, the former school is now a unique 144,000-square-foot recreation, arts, and cultural facility, and the former school playing fields continue to be an important community recreational amenity. The municipality was innovative in its approach to the development of the site. The town subdivided and sold lots on the perimeter of the site to offset the capital funding required for purchase, therefore meeting one of the town’s strategic priorities to be fiscally sustainable.

Conserving historic architecture The need to be proactive and innovative is also critical to the successful conservation of historic school architecture. The Town of Aurora’s approach to the preservation of the Wells Street Public School in the late 2000s is a good example of how this can be achieved. A significant example of 1920s collegiate architecture, Wells Street School is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful buildings in town. It might have been a perfect location for a community museum had the municipality not recently spent more than $2.5 million on renovating another former aca-

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demic building, the 1885 Church Street School, to fill that purpose. When the Wells Street School was temporarily closed by the York Region School Board in 2007 to facilitate repairs to the structure, the Town of Aurora immediately reaffirmed its interest in preservation of the building by designating the structure under the Ontario Heritage Act. The school board worked cooperatively with the town to implement the heritage designation, since the architectural significance and community landmark status of the building was beyond question. When the school was eventually declared surplus and sold a few years later, the heritage designation established a benchmark for redevelopment of the site. The building would be preserved. The school board’s willingness to consider the obvious heritage landmark value of the Wells Street School was also essential to achieving a successful result. As a happy convenience, to which many developers will attest, historic classrooms are typically of a proportion that makes them ideal for conversion to loft-type apartments. With a modest and sensitive rooftop addition, the Wells Street School building is currently under redevelopment and is about to be reborn as 35 high-quality loft apartments. While there will inevitably be a sense of lament that the historic school function at Wells Street is lost forever, there is also universal applause for the fact that the beautiful Wells Street School building will be preserved and protected for generations and will continue to stand proud as a landmark of the Old Aurora neighbourhood.

At the municipal level, there is also much that can be done to achieve positive outcomes for historic schools. In time, the community of Vineland The key issue of enrolment is an may come to accept the compromise important objective that can be adfor their community school. The outdressed by creating official plan policome in Vineland is going to be very cies that support the implementation different from the Aurora experience. of densities that maintain school popVineland will continue to have a school, ulations. If this is not a viable option, and elements of the historical building municipalities need to be proactive will be preserved in the new structure, in understanding community heritage which will retain a sense of history. It’s and recreational needs. If the school’s clear, however, that the issue of school recreational space is well used and closures elsewhere is not going away. needed, plan to acquire it. Build reThere will be other Wells Streets, Vineserves over time to save for the day lands, Campdens, and Queen Elizabeth when the municipality may need to Parks. Lessons learned in these compurchase the site. Look at creative munities point to the need to pursue models, like Oakville did, to offset the long-range planning and better coopcapital funding required to purchase eration and communication between and improve the school property for school boards and municipalities when community use. it comes to preserving historic comWhen it comes to conserving school munity schools. As the trend of school architecture, being proactive is also the rationalizing continues, school boards key. If a school building is a historical and provincial governments must also landmark, work with the school board play their part and recognize the broad years in advance of any closure to desimpacts of school closures on all areas ignate the significant features of the of provincial policy, including combuilding, and to conserve and maintain munity health, identity, and heritage. In the building during any times when the Ontario, provincial policies encourage building is vacant. Experience indicates walkable and complete communities, that if a municipality identifies schools and the loss of a community school im(or any significant building for that pacts a community’s ability to achieve matter) as being worthy of preservathose goals. tion, and is prepared to use tools such But, the closing of schools is a finanas heritage designation or financial cial exercise. Often, a new school can’t incentives to foster protection and presbe achieved unless they close an old ervation of historic buildings well in school (or several old schools). It’s clear advance of any redevelopment plans that the Ministry of Education should be being crystallized, then preservation of required to consider all provincial poliheritage resources will be much easier cies holistically, and not just in terms of to achieve. MW financial matters.

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February 1-3 – HRPA Annual Conference and Trade Show Toronto ON. www.hrpa. ca/Conf2016/Pages/2017-Call-for-Speakers. aspx February 1-4 – Ontario Library Association super conference Toronto ON. www.olasuperconference.ca February 5-8 – Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association’s 112th Annual Convention Saskatoon SK. www.suma.org February 7 – Provincial/Municipal Government Liability conference Toronto ON. www.canadianinstitute.com/provincialmunicipal-government-liability February 7-9 – Economic Developers Council of Ontario annual conference Toronto ON. www.edcoconference.com February 16-18 – Winter Cities ShakeUp Edmonton AB. Register Now: http://wintercitiesconference.com/#home-1

February 26-March 1 – OGRA Conference Toronto ON. http://ograconference.ca March 13-16 – Saskatoon Association of Rural Municipalities Annual Convention Saskatoon SK. http://sarm.ca/events March 20-22 – Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties Convention Edmonton AB. www.aamdc.com March 28-31 – PRO Educational Forum and Trade Show Huntsville ON. http://www. prontario.org/index.php?ci_id=9101 April 2-5 – Ontario Business Improvement Area Association Conference Toronto ON. http://www.obiaaconference.com/index. cfm?ID=179 April 5-7 – Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association Spring Workshop Niagara Falls ON. www.omhra.ca/en/events/index.asp April 9-11 – Ontario Municipal Tax and Revenue Association Annual Spring Conference London ON. www.omtra.ca

April 21-22 – International Conference on Climate Change Cambridge UK. http://onclimate.com/2017-conference May 2 – Accelerating Smart Communities Conference Vancouver BC. May 2-5 – Ontario Small Urban Municipalities Conference and Trade Show Blue Mountains ON. www.osum.ca/Events May 7-10 – Ontario’s Water Conference & Trade Show Niagara Falls ON. www.owwa.ca/ conference May 10-12 – Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council Waste ReForum 2017 Saskastoon SK. www.saskwastereduction.ca/events May 10-12 – Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association Spring Workshop Minnett ON. www.omaa.on.ca May 16-18 – Local Government Management Association BC Annual Conference and AGM Penticton BC. www.lgma.ca

February 2017

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