Heritage Conservation Toolbox

Welcome to the Regional Heritage Conservation Toolbox - your source for information, policies and guidelines related to cultural heritage resource conservation in Waterloo Region.

Cultural heritage resources are an inheritance that give residents a sense of place, community and personal identity. These resources provide an important means of defining a regional identity and enhancing our community's quality of life. They support social development and promote economic prosperity. Waterloo Region is committed to the conservation of its cultural heritage.

The Regional Heritage Conservation Toolbox has been developed to support heritage property owners, municipal staff and the public in their common effort to conserve cultural heritage resources in the Region. The toolbox is a work in progress and will evolve over time as new resources and information become available and/or are developed.

The content in this toolbox has been divided into the following categories:

Cultural Heritage Conservation Policies and Planning Documents

Cultural Heritage Landscape Conservation

The Region of Waterloo is developing an Implementation Guideline for Cultural Heritage Landscape Conservation which will provide guidance to development applicants, the Regional Heritage Planning Advisory Committee (HPAC), Municipal Heritage Advisory Committees (MHAC), and Regional and Area Municipal staff, in the conservation of significant Cultural Heritage Landscapes (CHLs) in Waterloo Region. Information on the current process and draft document is available on the Region’s website.

Legislative Planning and Financial Tools

This document outlines Provincially Legislated Planning and Financial Tools that can be used to conserve cultural heritage resources.

Heritage policies in the Regional Official Plan

The Regional Official Plan will guide the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in directing growth and change over the next 20 years. Cultural heritage policies are included in Chapter 3: Liveability in Waterloo Region.

Archaeological Master Plan

This report includes an assessment of local archaeological resources, a summary of planning policies for known archaeological resources, maps detailing the locations of known resources, and an investigation into the creation of an archaeological facility. The plan was accepted by Regional Council in 1989.

Arts, Culture & Heritage Master Plan

This report includes recommendations and implementation strategies for identifying, protecting, promoting, and investing in arts, culture and heritage resources in Waterloo Region. This plan was accepted by Regional Council in October 2002.

Content under Development

Implementation Guideline for Cultural Heritage Landscape Conservation
Implementation Guideline for Regionally Significant Heritage Resource Conservation

Heritage Conservation Funding Sources

Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation

The Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation funding program is the primary Regional tool for financially supporting the conservation on cultural heritage in the Region. Through application to the WRHF, owners of properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act may receive grants in support of restoring the heritage resource.

Web Links under Development

Area Municipal Granting Programs
Provincial Funding

Resources for Municipal Staff

Spanning the Generations: A Study of Old Bridges

The Region's Heritage Planning Advisory Committee has published three phases of Spanning the Generations: A Study of Old Bridges in Waterloo Region.

Phase 1: an inventory and ranking of more than 100 bridges based on their heritage attributes
- Pages 1-100
- Pages 101-244
Phase 2: a report on the 10 most historically significant bridges
Phase 3: a focus on steel truss bridges

Scenic Roads and Special Character Streets Resource Document

This document is a supplement to the Context Sensitive Regional Transportation Design Guidelines providing additional guidance and support to Regional staff when planning, designing, constructing and maintaining sections of Regional transportation corridors that have been identified as Special Character Streets or Scenic Roads.

Content under Development