Loyalist Township Heritage Committee
The Loyalist Township Heritage Committee was officially established in 1988 under By-law 973-88 under section 28 of the Ontario Heritage Act. At the time of its formation the Heritage Committee was called the LACAC (Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee), but renamed in March 1999 to promote a wider recognition in the community.
The overall purpose of the Loyalist Township Heritage Committee is to advise Council on local heritage matters and to assist Council in carrying out its heritage conservation program. The Terms of Reference outline the specific roles and responsibilities of the committee and were last updated under By-law 2017-006 (Schedule A).
Information on membership, meeting schedule and meeting agendas and minutes can be found in the Loyalist CivicWeb Portal.
Dry stone wall at Pentland Cemetery
The Role of the Municipal Heritage Committee
The role of a Municipal Heritage Committee (MHC) is advisory and consultative. MHCs assist municipal councils on all matters relating to the legal designation and conservation of property that is of cultural heritage value or interest to the municipality.
Section 28(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act empowers municipalities to establish Municipal Heritage Committees to advise councils on identifying, protecting, and promoting cultural heritage resources.
The Ontario Heritage Act
In 1975, the Ontario Heritage Act came into force with the purpose of giving municipalities and the provincial government powers to preserve the heritage of Ontario. Its primary focus is to protect heritage properties and archaeological sites within the province of Ontario.
The Ontario Heritage Act also mandates the Ontario Heritage Trust, a Crown agency that was developed to conserve, interpret, and share Ontario's heritage. Together they conserve provincially-significant cultural, natural, tangible, and intangible heritage, interpret Ontario's history, and educate the public about the province's historical importance within Canada's overall national narrative.
Before Amalgamation
Before the amalgamation of the former municipalities of the Village of Bath, the Township of Amherst Island, and the Township of Ernestown, there had been other MHCs established under the Ontario Heritage Act. As with the current Heritage Committee, the members of the previous committees were volunteers who shared a passion for history and a drive to protect the heritage of their community.
An example of such a committee was the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee of the Village of Bath, which was established by the former Village of Bath Council in May of 1976. The LACAC Committee was established with six members, including:
- June Carruthers
- Dianne Chesebrough
- Cyril Flavell
- Cameron Hay
- John Knowles
- Bill VanKoughnet
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