The Town of Grimsby Expands Its List of Protected Heritage Properties

As part of the Town’s 2019-2022 Strategic Priorities, Town Staff and Council have been working together to protect, preserve, and enhance Grimsby’s distinct heritage and culture.

Grimsby has long recognized the importance of heritage conservation in improving quality of life and enhancing a sense of place and community. Together, Council and Town Staff have been working to conserve the physical evidence of Grimsby’s rich history through heritage-focused initiatives. In the past year, an additional 320 properties have been added to the Heritage Register. (To put this number in perspective, Grimsby’s Heritage Register only listed 142 properties as of 2015).

“Preserving and protecting the heritage and culture of Grimsby has always been a priority for Council and our residents. We have a long track record and demonstrated results of bringing heritage to life through a combination of political will, good policy-making, and effective citizen engagement. We will continue to champion these efforts to maintain and add to our heritage stock” said Mayor Jordan.

Today, more than 95% of the Town’s pre-1939 building stock remains in place. Due to such success, the Town of Grimsby was recently featured on the National Trust for Canada’s website, which is an independent organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of heritage properties across Canada. Bianca Verrecchia, a Heritage Planner for the Town of Grimsby, spoke to representatives from the National Trust for Canada and discussed the importance of heritage conservation, as well as the Town’s future plans. (You can read the full article here).

But this wasn’t the first time that the Town has been featured by the National Trust for Canada, having previously won The Prince of Wales Prize in 2015, which recognized the Grimsby community and local government for the successful heritage stewardship of the Town.

Thanks to a robust suite of heritage-friendly policies and programs, financial incentives, and zoning by-laws, the heritage stock in Grimsby will remain protected. In the near future, Town Staff and the community will work together to rediscover the Town with a more inclusive lens, uncovering stories and traditions of the past, and will also be completing a heritage conservation district study for Main Street East.

The Town would like to thank all of the property owners in Grimsby for continuing to advocate for heritage conservation, as well as members of Council and the Heritage Grimsby Advisory Committee who have guided these accomplishments.

Please reach out to Town Staff if you are interested in learning more about the Town’s heritage process, or the local properties that have been protected.