Heritage Planning

​​The Town's cultural heritage is a major part of ​​what makes Bradford West Gwillimbury unique. These resources can take many different forms including buildings and structures, streetscapes, landscapes, cemeteries and archaeological sites.  Our heritage resources tell us who we are, where we have come from and what we have accomplished.

Council works with its Heritage Committee, property owners and community planning staff to ensure that our best examples of cultural heritage are preserved for the benefit of current and future generations.  The following provides information on the heritage planning program in BWG.

​Ontario Heritage Act

The Ontario Heritage Act provides municipal governments with a framework for identifying, assessing, and preserving properties with cultural heritage value and interest. The Act also sets out requirements for consulting with property owners and the general public. 

One of the communication tools required by the Ontario Heritage Act is the publishing of a Municipal Registry of Heritage Properties. The registry is the official record of cultural heritage properties that have been identified as being important to the community. There are over 400 properties currently included on the town's registry.

Designated Versus Listed Properties

There are two types of properties identified on the Municipal Registry of Heritage Properties – those that are designated for protection under the Heritage Act, and those that are simply "listed". 

Designating a property for protection under the Heritage Act involves a far more formal process than that of listing a property on the heritage register. It should be noted that listing is not a prerequisite to being designated; nor do all listed properties warrant designation.

Listing is a means of formally identifying properties that may have cultural heritage value or interest. It is an important tool in planning for their conservation and provides a limited measure of interim protection.