dahusbandofbath
Active Member
I was very pleased to read George Smitherman's Heritage platform as reported in the Globe and Mail today. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...vation-can-coexist-smitherman/article1690670/
It was the following paragraphs, in particular, that I found noteworthy:
"The former provincial energy and infrastructure minister’s plans include beefing up the city’s heritage enforcement, adding tax incentives to encourage property owners to maintain their buildings, and penalizing them financially if they don’t.
“Where someone owns heritage properties and doesn’t take care of them, we can bring the force of government ... to create a punitive approach as required to make sure that appropriate protection is given to heritage buildings.â€
He said he’d also encourage “heritage shopping districts†throughout the city, and enforce the idea of natural heritage when it comes to protecting the city’s parks and ravines. He said he’d like to see an “early-warning system†in place that would get heritage and fire officials to monitor older buildings and ensure those with historic value are kept in good repair."
I lived in Munich for a year. I just don't recall seeing unmaintained buidlings anywhere. Not every buidling in Munich is a masterpiece by any means, but they are consistantly clean and in good repair from top to bottom (not just at street level as we so often see in Toronto!)
Even if all the street beautification plans were cancelled in this city, simply replacing the old windows, repainting the trim and re-shingling the rooves of all of our pre-WWII buildings would have a MASSIVE impact on the beauty of our city.
It was the following paragraphs, in particular, that I found noteworthy:
"The former provincial energy and infrastructure minister’s plans include beefing up the city’s heritage enforcement, adding tax incentives to encourage property owners to maintain their buildings, and penalizing them financially if they don’t.
“Where someone owns heritage properties and doesn’t take care of them, we can bring the force of government ... to create a punitive approach as required to make sure that appropriate protection is given to heritage buildings.â€
He said he’d also encourage “heritage shopping districts†throughout the city, and enforce the idea of natural heritage when it comes to protecting the city’s parks and ravines. He said he’d like to see an “early-warning system†in place that would get heritage and fire officials to monitor older buildings and ensure those with historic value are kept in good repair."
I lived in Munich for a year. I just don't recall seeing unmaintained buidlings anywhere. Not every buidling in Munich is a masterpiece by any means, but they are consistantly clean and in good repair from top to bottom (not just at street level as we so often see in Toronto!)
Even if all the street beautification plans were cancelled in this city, simply replacing the old windows, repainting the trim and re-shingling the rooves of all of our pre-WWII buildings would have a MASSIVE impact on the beauty of our city.
