The City of St. Catharines has over 1,000 heritage properties protected under the Ontario Heritage Act. Properties are protected in one of three ways:
- Designated individually under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
- Designated as part of the Heritage Conservation District under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act
- Listed on the City’s Heritage Register
Designated Properties
Properties that are designated both individually or as part of the heritage district may require a Heritage Permit if you would like to make changes to the property. Please see the Heritage Permit section for more information.
In addition, there is also a Heritage Designated Property Grant program to help you preserve heritage elements.
Listed Properties
Properties that are listed on the City’s Heritage Register do not require heritage permits. As of January 1, 2023, these properties can only remain on the Register for up to two years. During this time, Council is required to designate the property, or the property will be removed from the Heritage Register for five years. Please note that all listings for properties on the Register before January 1, 2023 will expire on January 1, 2025.
While a property is on the Heritage Register, the owner must give Council 60 days' notice if you wish to demolish or remove a building or structure on the property. This allows the City to review the demolition application and evaluate the property’s cultural heritage value to determine if the property meets the criteria for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. If the property meets the criteria for designation, the property can be designated by the City and protected from demolition.
Should a property owner wish to demolish a building on a Listed property, they are required to contact the City's Heritage Planner to determine the appropriate information and reports required as part of their demolition application.
Significant Individuals
The City of St. Catharines also maintains a list of significant local individuals who have contributed to the community. The list has been organized, researched and maintained by the City's Heritage Advisory Committee and is used for commemorations, street names and for public recognition of these individuals. Should you know of an individual that should be added to the list, please contact the City's Heritage Planner.
How do I apply for heritage designation? |
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Please complete our Heritage Designation Application and send to the Heritage Advisory Committee through Planning and Building Services. The designation process takes approximately three to four months. The Heritage Advisory Committee will evaluate your request based on the criteria for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act and will make a recommendation on whether the property merits designation. If warranted, Planning and Building Services prepares a report to Council and if they approve based on the recommendations from the report, we publish a Notice of Intent to Designate in the newspaper (St. Catharines Standard) and on our website. We serve the notice to the property owner and the Ontario Heritage Trust. If no notices of objection to the designation are filed with the City Clerk after 30 days, Council passes a by-law designating the property. We then publish a Notice of Passing of the By-law in the newspaper and on our website. We serve the notice to the property owner and Ontario Heritage Trust. The by-law will then take effect. |
Heritage Conservation Districts |
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A Heritage Conservation District (HCD) is a collection of buildings, streets and open spaces that has a special character of historical association. Through studies, we define areas to be designated and create policies to guide future change through District Plans. We encourage changes that are consistent with the goals and objectives of each HCD's study. Since 1976, we have designated Five Heritage Conservation Districts in St. Catharines:
Power Glen Heritage Conservation District: Port Dalhousie Heritage Conservation District:
Port Dalhousie Commercial Core and Harbour Area Heritage Conservation District Yates Street Heritage Conservation District: Queen Street Heritage Conservation District: |