Victoria’s Chamber of Commerce reacted angrily to the unanimous decision by Victoria Council to add 11 buildings from the modern era to the City’s heritage register.  Several of the property owners also objected at a July 10 public hearing prior to the vote. The Chamber claimed that the Council decision overlooked the owners’ objections.  Being on the register, the Chamber said, “potentially limits the use of private property (which) creates market uncertainly and will negatively impact on investment potential for property owners”.

In fact, a heritage register is just a list.  As Heritage BC pointed out at the public hearing, there is often a list at city hall of buildings of heritage interest;  the register just makes it official.  The purpose of the register is not to limit use;  the Local Government Act does not give council such powers.  It simply flags properties as being of heritage interest, and makes it official. This is better for everyone, including the owners, and tends to head off last-minute dust-ups when development proposals are brought forward.

Victoria’s heritage register has several hundred properties listed. Adding a few more seldom provokes this kind of reaction from the business community, and the City had taken care to consult with the owners in advance.  Possibly it was the fact that these properties were from the modern design era, which may look like the heritage program is expanding into new territory, that prompted the response.  In any event, Council saw the sense of the proposal and had no problem adding the eleven modern-era properties to the register.  Hopefully over time the lack of any real threat will become evident to owners, and the Chamber.