Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee Meeting

Minutes

Meeting #:

Date:

Wednesday, April 08, 2026

Time:

7:00 P.m. - 9:00 P.m.

Location:

Room 247, City Hall, second floor

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1.

Members Present:

Marsha Paley (Chair), Andy Lyster, Alex Winiarski, Steve Allen, Michael Vollmer, Jenna Dobson, Catherine Robb and Alan Harrington

2.

Regrets:

Councillor Shawna Stolte, Len Collins and Robin Lloyd

3.

Others Present:

Chloe Richer (Heritage Planner), Shameel Chankar (Heritage Intern) and Jo-Anne Rudy (Clerk)

4.

Land Acknowledgement

The Chair read the Land Acknowledgement.

5.

Declarations of Interest:

None

6.

Approval of Minutes:

6.1

Approve minutes from meeting held March 11, 2026

On motion, the minutes from the meeting held March 11, 2026 were approved as presented.

7.

Delegation(s):

7.1

Brent Wybenga spoke to Item #5.1a. - Heritage Permit application for 1422 Ontario St. and provided an overview of the application.

8.

Regular Items:

8.1

Heritage Planner update

a.

Heritage Permit application - 1422 Ontario Street

• Chloe advised that a heritage permit application was received on March 19, 2026 and noted that this property is designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act as part of the Burlington Ave. - Ontario St. Heritage Conservation District (HCD). She stated that the heritage permit proposes to replace the cladding in the front gable with a cedar shingle infill and introduce a single modestly sized centered window; and extend the existing side addition further into the rear yard and re-clad the exterior walls with Maibec vertical board and batten siding.
• Members had questions regarding the use of a fibreglass window, rather than using wood. Chloe responded that the applicant identified fibreglass as the preferred material due to the challenge of maintaining a new wood window at the 2.5-storey level in the gable, and noted that the existing gable window is not wood.
• Committee passed the following motion. Motion - Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee recommends that Heritage Permit No. 501-06-4-01-26 be approved, subject to the following conditions:
  • That any minor changes to the plans and elevations following approval shall be submitted, to the satisfaction and approval of the Director of Community Planning, prior to submission as part of any application for a Building Permit and / or the commencement of any alterations; and
  • That implementation / installation of the alteration(s), in accordance with this approval, shall be completed no later than April 30, 2028. If the alteration(s) are not completed by April 30, 2028, then this approval expires as of that date and no alterations shall be undertaken without a new approval issued by the City of Burlington. CARRIED

b.

Research Brief and Cultural Heritage Evaluation - 906 Brant St.

• Shameel advised that staff have prioritized an evaluation of the Edwin Freeman House at 906 Brant Street under Ontario Regulation 9/06 - Criteria for Determining Cultural Heritage Value or Interest due to Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, and future redevelopment within the Burlington GO Major Transit Station Area. Shameel noted that the property was previously evaluated in 2003 and was given a heritage grade of "A", and has remained on the Municipal Heritage Register as a non-designated heritage property. A site visit has been completed as well as the archival research and evaluation process. A Cultural Heritage Evaluation Brief has been prepared and shows that the property has design/physical value, historical/associative value, and contextual value. Heritage Planning staff recommend designating the property under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
• Committee members were in agreement and passed the following motion. Motion - Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee recommends that Council pass a by-law to adopt the Part IV designation of 906 Brant St. under the Ontario Heritage Act. CARRIED

c.

Heritage mapping update

• Shameel advised that staff have modernized and created process improvements regarding the City's Municipal Heritage Register (MHR) mapping (GIS) tool. The MHR mapping will be launched to the City's website in the next couple of weeks and will replace the current MHR mapping application. He noted that polygons of each designated and non-designated property are colour coded, and a supporting photograph and designation by-law information are hyperlinked in a new property information pop-up window.
• Members were very pleased with this improvement and asked if there could perhaps be a counter on the website to determine number of visits. 

8.2

Subcommittee updates

a.

Promotions & Marketing Subcommittee

• Andy advised that the numbers were down for the Focus Group so it will be rescheduled at a later date with the potential of a virtual option.

b.

Heritage Week Subcommittee

• Marsha advised that the Heritage Week Subcommittee held its second meeting on March 24 and the event planning is coming along. The Opening Ceremony will be held at LaSalle Park Pavilion.

8.3

Food for Feedback event - September 12, 2026

• Jo-Anne advised that the City will once again be hosting the Food for Feedback event on September 12, 2026 from 12 to 3 p.m., one hour less than previous years. Some other changes this year include a project application that must be submitted and approved that highlights a project or initiative that aligns with and supports City or Council priorities, corporate strategies or plans. In addition, there will be mandatory reporting requirements that show how participation in Food for Feedback was used to influence the project. The application submission deadline is June 24, 2026. Jo-Anne asked the committee to consider whether they would like to participate again this year. This will be discussed at the May and/or June meetings.

9.

Other Business:

• Marsha stated that the Ontario Heritage Conference is scheduled for June 18-20, 2026 in Hamilton and asked if there are any members interested in attending as there was some money allocated in the budget this year. Steve and Marsha expressed an interest in attending. Motion - Approve the expenditure for 2 full registrations for the Ontario Heritage Conference scheduled for June 18-20, 2026. CARRIED
• Marsha advised that Councillor Stolte will be bringing forward the motion approved by the committee at its March meeting, regarding the proposed province‑wide Heritage Helping Housing Grant Program (HHHGP) from the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), to the April 21, 2026 Council meeting. Councillor Stolte requested that Marsha attend as a delegate. Members agreed and passed the following motion. Motion - Heritage Burlington approves a delegation from Marsha Paley, Chair to the Council meeting of April 21 to advise of the committee's support. CARRIED
• Marsha stated that the deadline of January 1, 2027 for all non-designated properties on the municipal register is looming and there is still significant work to be done. She shared a motion related to extending the designation deadline of non-designated heritage properties that she will ask Councillor Stolte to consider bringing forward to Council in May. Members discussed and fully supported this. Motion - Heritage Burlington supports the suggested motion regarding the deadline extension of non-designated properties to go to the May Council meeting for consideration. CARRIED
• Alan advised that the Burlington Historical Society is doing another cemetery cleanup on June 19 at the Union Burying Grounds on Plains Road.
• Chloe advised that all members are invited to a re-opening for Port Nelson Park on April 26 at 1 p.m. (rain date May 3).
• Chloe shared that this would be Shameel’s last meeting as his internship is finished the end of April. Committee thanked him for his work and wished him well in his future endeavors.

10.

Adjournment:

Chair adjourned the meeting at 8:22 p.m.