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Expanding the narrative
Expanding the narrative
This is part of a broader conversation about whose history is being told, about gender, people of colour and the economically disenfranchised, and others whose stories have been overlooked or intentionally omitted from the authorized discussion.
Francophone heritage
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Intangible heritage
Intangible heritage
Intangible cultural heritage includes language, traditions, music, food, special skills, etc.
Medical heritage
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MyOntario
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Women's heritage

Photo: Curt Clayton

Welcome to the new Heritage Matters!

Explore past issues of our magazine in a new digital format. While we continue to migrate over archived articles, you can still find past issues on our website.

Photo courtesy of Donovan Rypkema

Nine ways that heritage conservation is good for the economy

By Donovan Rypkema. Advocates for heritage conservation have traditionally made their case on the basis of architectural character, cultural significance, social relevance ...

Photo: Richard Adams

Explore our stories about buildings and architecture

Check out the many stories published by the Ontario Heritage Trust about buildings and architecture - from adaptive re-use and conservation activities to iconic structures and the economic impact of heritage ...

Photo: Destination Ontario

Revitalizing communities – The power of conservation

By Beth Hanna. The Trust team has been examining whose stories we tell, and whose heritage we protect through our sites and programs. We are working on expanding that narrative to a more honest, authentic and inclusive portrayal of Ontario’s heritage. These are important and timely discussions ...

Latest features

The Canadian Niagara Power Generating Station was opened for a special Doors Open weekend on October 26-27, 2019. (Photo: Niagara Parks)

01 Oct 2019
Economics of heritage
Buildings and architecture
Community

How Doors Open Ontario activates the province’s communities

The Ontario Heritage Trust’s Doors Open Ontario program works with communities and partners to open the doors, gates and courtyards of Ontario’s most unique and fascinating cultural sites in order to encourage Ontarians to discover the stories inside. From historical houses to modern marvels of construction, Doors Open Ontario showcases the buildings, natural spaces, infrastructure and cultural landscapes that shape and define our communities. The program encourages Ontarians to experience their history up close, behind...

Children from Pelee Island Pubic School helping to collect seeds for restoration projects

01 Oct 2019
Economics of heritage
Environment

Conserving what we value

It was my time to finally get my message across. About 15 years ago, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) was beginning to purchase properties...

Re-saturating calcimine paint on decorative plaster moulding from 1817. Reproduction rosettes at top left. Homemade traditional plasterer’s tools at bottom left. (Macdonell-Williamson House, Chute-a-Blondeau)

01 Oct 2019
Economics of heritage
Buildings and architecture

The case for craftsmanship

One of the greater pleasures of working in architectural conservation in Ontario is the opportunity it provides to work with traditional building materials: the timber...

01 Oct 2019
Economics of heritage
Buildings and architecture
Arts and creativity
Community

Quiet on the set

Shaftesbury is the company behind the hit television series Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries, both of which air on CBC in Canada and are...

Photo courtesy of the First Christian Assembly in Philadelphia, USA

01 Oct 2019
Economics of heritage
Buildings and architecture
Community

The economic halo effect of sacred places: Measuring civic impact in an innovative new way

Nestled in the old city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Old St. George’s United Methodist Church is a “mother church” of the denomination and the oldest Methodist...

Heritage Matters Live with Edward Burtynsky

November 9 to December 9, 2021

Learn more

Edward Burtynsky (Photo: Birgit Kleber)

SelectedStories

Oct 01, 2019
Economics of heritage
Archaeology
Community
Author: Donovan Rypkema

Nine ways that heritage conservation is good for the economy

Advocates for heritage conservation have traditionally made their case on the basis of architectural character, cultural significance, social relevance, esthetic quality and other values of historical buildings. And those values are as important as ever. In recent years, however, researchers have demonstrated the significant impact that heritage conservation has on the local economy. It is not that the economic value is more important than the other values – indeed it is not. In the long...

This bench overlooks the river and burial mounds (Photo: Chris McEvoy, Rusty Anchor Productions)

Present. Preserve. Protect.

Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre, the Place of the Long Rapids, is a historically significant meeting place located along the banks of Manidoo Ziibi (Spirit River or Rainy River) in Northwestern Ontario. Also known as Manitou Mounds, it is the largest concentration of known burial mounds in North America; it was designated a National Historic Site in 1969. The centre is owned and operated by Rainy River First Nations, and offers interpretive tours and galleries, a collections...

Oct 01, 2019
Economics of heritage
Buildings and architecture
Author: Michael Emory

Heritage buildings and the evolution of workspace

I work for Allied Properties – a leading owner, manager and developer of urban workspace in major Canadian cities. Allied’s units are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Allied was known initially for its leading role in the emergence of distinctive urban workspace in Toronto. This began in the 1980s and accelerated in the late 1990s. It involved the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings constructed over a century ago for light-industrial use. Properly restored...

Oct 01, 2019
Economics of heritage
Buildings and architecture
Environment
Community
Author: Clare Ronan

Reside: When heritage preservation translates to affordable housing

Raising the Roof is a Canadian charity that provides national leadership in homelessness prevention through various initiatives. Reside is one such project that creates affordable housing by leveraging the availability of vacant and underutilized properties. The overall goal of Reside is to repurpose vacant properties – including heritage sites – into affordable rental units for individuals who are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. Currently, Raising the Roof is renovating two vacant properties in Ontario...

Doris McCarthy at Fool’s Paradise, May 2005 (Photo: David Lee)

Women's heritage
Buildings and architecture
Arts and creativity

Doris McCarthy’s Fool’s Paradise will inspire future generations of artists

With the passing of Doris McCarthy on November 25, 2010, the country lost a revered and talented artist, best known for her landscape paintings. McCarthy’s...

Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada © Ontario Tourism

Buildings and architecture
Community

Into the Kawarthas

When visitors first enter Peterborough’s stately city hall, they should look down. Inspired by the City Beautiful Movement – active in Canada from 1893 to...

Red Chestnut Prospector canoe of legendary canoeist, author and filmmaker Bill Mason (1929-1988) (Photo courtesy of John Summers, Canadian Canoe Museum)

Expanding the narrative
Community

CCM 3.0: Reimagining the Canadian Canoe Museum

A decade has passed since the permanent exhibits at The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) were opened to great acclaim. Funded with help from the federal...

Buildings and architecture
Community

Peterborough’s Living History Museum

Hutchison House holds a special place in the social history of Peterborough. Local volunteers built the house in 1836 to persuade one of their first...

Celebrating Emancipation Day at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site in Dresden (Photo: Keith Blackwell Photography)

Black heritage

Resources: Celebrating the International Year for People of African Descent

What's on the shelf The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway: African-Canadians in Hamilton, by Adrienne Shadd (Dundurn Press Ltd. 2010) When the Lincoln Alexander Parkway...

A provincial plaque was unveiled on July 31, 2010 as part of the Emancipation Day event at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site in Dresden to commemorate Hugh Burnett and the National Unity Association.

Black heritage

Changing perspectives on the past

The Ontario Heritage Trust’s provincial plaque program has existed for more than 50 years. Throughout this time, it has commemorated several people, places and events...

Wilma Morrison received a Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007 from the Ontario Heritage Trust, presented by The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander (left) and The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Women's heritage
Black heritage

Wilma Morrison: A life of activism

By now, many people in the heritage community and the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario are familiar with the woman who is practically synonymous with...

Fieldworker on ice ridges overlooking Lake Nipissing at Great Manitou Island, 2010.

Environment
Natural heritage

Working with stewards and partners

The Ontario Heritage Trust owns over 160 natural heritage properties and protects over 40 natural heritage sites with easements. Because the Trust cannot manage and...