Press Event, November 22 at 9am

AUTHOR: ACO

DATE: November 21, 2022

ACO response to the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

NEWS DESCRIPTION:

Press Event: Queen’s Park Media Studio
November 22, 2022 9:00 a.m. Response to More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

A media event to publicize the damage that Schedule 6 of Bill 23 will wreak on Ontario Heritage (“Ford Drops Bomb into Ontario’s Heritage System”)

Speakers:

Diane Chin: Ms. Chin will focus on how Bill 23 will make it difficult to protect sites valued by multicultural, BIPOC, LGBTQ2+ or Indigenous peoples. She is the current Chair of Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO), Past Chair of the Coburg Branch of ACO, has degrees in Science, Education, and Administration from the University of Toronto, is retired from a career that started as an environmental researcher for the Government of Ontario, followed by librarian, high school principal, and real estate professional.

William Greaves: Mr. Greaves will address the dangers posed by the provisions in Bill 23 that give the Provincial Cabinet the ability to override any existing heritage protection on provincially owned property. Representing Ontario Place For All, Mr. Greaves is a graduate of the Architecture Program at Yale, licensed to practice in New York State. In 2019 he returned to Ontario and has been a leading advocate for the conservation of Ontario Place, including organizing the inclusion of Ontario’s Place on the World Monuments Fund Watch List in 2020.

Michael McClelland: Mr. McClelland will discuss the history, evolution, raison d’etre and use of the listing process under the Ontario Heritage Act and the dangers to those listed properties posed by Bill 23. He is Principal at ERA Architects, a firm that specializes in heritage conservation, a graduate of the University of Toronto, a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, an author or co-author of several books on architecture and Toronto social history, and a frequent speaker on architectural subjects.

John Sewell: Mr. Sewell has submitted a statement which discusses the undemocratic way changes are being forced on Ontarians. Mr. Sewell, 81, is a former Mayor of Toronto and a strong advocate for local democracy.

Architectural Conservancy Ontario is the largest voice for heritage in Ontario, founded in 1933 with branches in 17 communities across the province.

For more information contact: Diane Chin, President, president@acontario.ca or Will Coukell, Chief Operating Officer will@acontario.ca 416 367 8075