From the past for the future: construction contracting keeps our heritage alive

Summit, Nov 2003 by Brimmell, George

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Finding good help

As noted in the article, qualified specialists in the disciplines required for heritage preservation are not easily found. The Canadian Heritage Foundation has published a report titled, Human Resource Issues in the Preservation of Heritage Buildings, which contains the results of a "first-ever survey of post-secondary institutions offering education and training opportunities in fields associated with heritage preservation."

Recently, Brian Anthony, executive director of the foundation wrote, "Our national capacity to preserve our built heritage is dependent on a number of critical factors, such as effective controls and meaningful incentives.... One of these critical factors is a heritage labour force sufficient in number and nature to carry out the vital work of preservation.... Do we have enough people in the various preservation fields to meet the ongoing and increasing demand for their talents. .. can the current heritage labour force meet important qualitative standards, especially in light of the demands of the emergent national conservation standards and guidelines being developed as part of the federal Historic Places Initiative?"

According to the website (www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/guide/cehc-chpc/table_E,asp), this initiative began three years ago when two federal government departments - the Department of Canadian Heritage and Parks Canada - began a series of consultations on the "best means to preserve and celebrate Canada's historic places." The participants, which included interested people, elected officials and experts from across Canada, achieved consensus on the following:

* Canadians will have built a culture of heritage conservation.

* Governments will work together to achieve common goals.

* Canadians will have the basic tools to protect historic places.

* The Government of Canada will become a model custodian of historic places.

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Heritage works across Canada

Two years ago, Halloween vandals set fire to St. John's Anglican Church in Lunenburg, NS, destroying a historic landmark. A recent federal-provincial contribution ($1 million) to the $5 million restoration cost, has spurred the fundraising efforts needed to rebuild.

The St. Boniface, MB, birthplace of world-renowned author Gabrielle Roy (1909-1983), recently restored to its 1918 design, was officially reopened as a museum this summer. Municipal, provincial and federal money helped finance the renovation project, after citizen fundraising - including a special appeal to women across Canada - raised $155,000 to purchase the building.

Montreal's high-tech business park, Locoshop, is housed in a restored part of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Angus Shops.

In Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company occupies buildings originally constructed for Consumers Gas Company, and Standard Woolen Mills.

In Vancouver, when the CPR's red brick roundhouse was converted into a community centre, the railway turntable was preserved as a permanent reminder of the building's original function.