HPI Background

Launched in 2001 as part of the Government of Canada’s ongoing efforts to protect and preserve Canada’s historic places for present and future generations of Canadians, the Historic Places Initiative (HPI) incorporates several interrelated tools (or elements), including the Canadian Register of Historic Places, the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund (CHPIF), and the HPI Certification Program.

The goal of the Initiative, which is being implemented in close collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, is to promote and foster a culture of heritage conservation in Canada. When it is fully implemented, it will provide Canadians with concrete tools and incentives to protect Canada’s historic places. The Initiative will also include federal legislation to provide legal protection to historic properties and archaeological resources that are located on federal lands.

Although Canada’s historic places provide tangible social and economic benefits through tourism and employment, they are threatened by population growth and urban development. In the last 30 years, more than 20 per cent of Canada’s historic buildings and countless archaeological resources have been lost. Through the Historic Places Initiative, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments are working together to reverse this trend.

The Initiative recognizes the important role Canada’s historic places play in connecting Canadians with their past. These places are recognized by many Canadians to be icons of Canada, and part of their national identity. They foster social cohesion within Canada by helping Canadians to understand Canada’s history, to see its present, and to lay the groundwork for its future.

As part of the Initiative, a federal-provincial-territorial working group was formed to develop criteria for the Canadian Register of Historic Places. The Register, which is being developed with the assistance of a variety of professionals and experts in the field, will be ready to launch early next year. It will offer online, fully searchable listings of historic places of local, provincial, territorial and national significance. The objective is to encourage the identification, promotion and celebration of historic places in Canada, and to engage Canadians in heritage conservation. Government authorities, land-use planners, developers, the tourism industry, educators, students, researchers, heritage professionals and the public will be able to rely on the Register as a source of easily accessible, accurate and detailed information on Canada’s historic places. It will be located at www.historicplaces.ca.

To be eligible for inclusion in the Register, an historic place must meet the eligibility criteria and documentation standards established by the federal-provincial-territorial working group. Each of the various jurisdictions participating in the Register, which will include federal, provincial and territorial governments, and possibly certain Aboriginal authorities, will review the nominations that fall within their mandate to assess whether the established criteria and documentation standards for the inclusion of an historic place on the Register have been met. A Registrar will be established by each participating jurisdiction for this purpose. The inclusion of an historic place on the Register occurs following a final review of the nomination by the Canadian Registrar.

Designed to provide a common reference point for individuals and companies involved in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties in Canada, the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada were developed under the guidance of a pan-Canadian team of governmental and non-governmental experts in the fields of heritage and property conservation. They are the first Canada-wide standards and guidelines for heritage conservation.

The objective of the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada is to achieve a balance between conservation and functional requirements in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties. To this end, the standards and guidelines offer sound and practical advice, as well as recommended and not recommended approaches for rehabilitating a wide range of heritage properties, including residential and industrial properties, as well as landscapes and archaeological sites.

In addition to providing a reference and focus for the rehabilitation of historic properties in Canada, the standards and guidelines are a cornerstone of the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund. The Fund was established to  encourage and support the preservation and rehabilitation of commercially viable heritage properties in Canada. Taxable Canadian corporations can apply to the Fund to be reimbursed for 20 per cent of the eligible costs they incur to rehabilitate an historic property for a commercial purpose, up to a maximum of $1 million. The criteria for the Fund stipulate that the corporation must own or hold a long-term lease (minimum of 20 years remaining at the time of application) on the property; the rehabilitation project must be substantial in scope, comply with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, and be pre-certified by a Certification Agent accredited by Parks Canada; and the property must be listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

To be administered by Parks Canada, the Fund has an annual budget of $10 million extending over three years. Applications for the initial phase of CHPIF funding will be accepted until March 1, 2004.

The HPI Certification Program was developed to support the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund. Through the program, accredited Certification Agents with direct experience in the rehabilitation and restoration of historic properties will be appointed to evaluate all eligible projects submitted to CHPIF for funding to ensure they comply with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Properties in Canada. As part of this process, the appointed Agent will assess the impact of the proposed project on the heritage value of the property. Following this assessment, the Agent will either recommend that the project be pre-certified, with or without conditions or that it be turned down. After all eligible projects have been reviewed and assessed by a Certification Agent, Parks Canada will review them against an additional set of funding criteria and will make recommendations on the projects to be approved for CHPIF funding to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

After work on the historic property is completed, each approved project will be reviewed again by its assigned Agent to ensure it conforms to the proposal that was approved for funding. No funds will be transferred to the owner of the property until the Agent has certified the completed project.

Launched by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps in 2001, the Historic Places Initiative is being developed in collaboration with Canada’s provincial and territorial governments. The Government of Canada has invested $24 million to develop the register, standards and guidelines, and certification program, in addition to the $30 million it has committed to the CHPIF.