Saving our heritage demands more than processes
Where were our leaders when Ancaster’s heritage gateway was demolished?
There’s been a lot of discussion on social media about the recent demolition of the historic, and wellmaintained, Brandon House in Ancaster. A couple of weeks ago, it still stood at the corner of Rousseau and Mohawk, just as it had for the past 160 years. Today, it’s an empty lot.
There’s been a lot discussion about how the heritage designation process failed us. Sadly, that’s not a new argument. In fact, it’s becoming as old as some of the heritage properties it’s designed to protect. Yet, irreplaceable heritage properties continue to fall. This latest one in Ancaster seems to have hit a nerve. Why this one? Why now? After all, there are plenty of heritage properties that keep coming down all around Hamilton.
I don’t pretend to know for sure, but here are three possible reasons.
1. It’s in a very prominent location, thought by many to be a heritage gateway to the old town of Ancaster.
2. It was in excellent condition, well-maintained, a pre-Confederation stone home, suggesting to many observers it was being lovingly cared for by its owners, whoever they were. 3. The local councillor, Lloyd Ferguson, has often commented on the unique, heritage character of the “Olde Town of Ancaster,” sometimes aggressively voicing his opposition to any changes to that character whenever a new development was proposed that he, and others, felt might be out of character with the historic feel of the town. In the past, he’s made heritage preservation worthy of his attention and commentary. Why not this time?
I think all three reasons warrant further review because I think they highlight the important difference between the role of process and the role of leadership. Process is how heritage properties are identified, listed, designated and protected. We have processes and procedures in place to do this, along with people, both paid staff and dedicated volunteers of the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee. Leadership is how the process is guided to achieve the intended goals of the process.
After all, processes do nothing on their own. In my view, it’s councillors and heritage experts on staff, and senior managers, who should be providing the leadership with the assistance of knowledgeable volunteers. In this case, I think we were let down by our leaders, even if we agree the process could do with strengthening.
Where was the Ward Councillor, Lloyd Ferguson, on this? Where is he now? Where was heritage planning staff? Why don’t we have any architectural experts on staff? Where was Jason Thorne, GM of planning and economic development? What does Mayor Fred Eisenberger think of what happened? Why does he think it happened this way? What would he recommend we do differently?
Isn’t it reasonable for us to expect all of them to adopt a more proactive leadership role? Or, should we be satisfied with them simply as custodians of the process? Personally, I vote for leadership. Whether that’s through notifying volunteers on the Municipal Heritage Committee of an upcoming change, or a permit application, or a concern about the protection of heritage. Did our leaders do that this time? It seems they did not. Not the councillor, nor the heritage staff assigned to the committees, nor the most senior managers of the City of Hamilton.
I think we need to ask more questions of them. A lot more.
I think we need to resist the convenient simplicity of blaming the heritage designation process as the culprit. As we fight to save our heritage, I think it’s appropriate for us to call upon our leaders to lead, and for our processes to be strengthened. You don’t need to live in Ancaster to care about what just happened.
Having said that, I’d ask all those who’ve chosen Ancaster as their home to speak up. Call your councillor. Ask a lot of questions. Understand what’s planned. Stand up for the irreplaceable heritage that we can all agree is a defining characteristic of the historic town of Ancaster. Before it’s too late. Please sign the online petition to Save Ancaster’s Built Heritage.
Graham Crawford is the 2019 Citizen of the Year, an engaged resident, and dedicated heritage advocate.