Heritage and character

The best thing you can do is you have to work with the owners. These are private properties and you cannot force owners to deal with their own property in ways that are going to go against their wishes. So, you have to work with them, encourage them, maybe some grants and all that kind of stuff, but when it comes to dealing with heritage properties and that, you have to make sure that you are not also trampling on the private rights and responsibilities of property owners.

Thank you for the question. And the loss of the McIver House was heartbreaking for the community, and I think we saw the public outcry online. And as a member of the Heritage Advisory Committee, it was definitely very upsetting to see, but part of our plan would be to work with the Heritage Advisory Committee or the Langley and Aldergrove Heritage Society to identify vacant or at-risk heritage buildings before they are lost. We would also look to expand awareness of heritage grants and incentives to help owners find practical and financially available options. The township, of course, cannot force any private landowners to restore heritage buildings, but it can make preserving one easier and more affordable. Our heritage tells the story of our community and when it's gone, it's gone. Thank you.

Steve Ferguson, Progress for Langley. And I wish you would have used another one as well, because there's many houses in the community that are heritage designation. We work with the owners. Owners of private property, but there are incentives. There are opportunities for people with these type of houses to repair them, to upgrade them, and to work with them. So let's basically … work with the private owners. Thank you.

Yes, I would advocate and keep heritage protection. But it's like living, if you're living in an older house, it costs money to maintain it and keep it. So what I would do is I would try to use resources, incentives and funds that are available through the township of Langley to help owners maintain and retain the heritage housing and find other incentives so they can find viable options to keep their properties put to use.

Stronger heritage protections is all about respect for heritage and for our communities. Once these buildings are gone, they're gone. And they've all been part of our collective community experience. That's created a recognizable community for us all. We need to protect that heritage. And we need to hear the voices of the community in response to protecting that heritage.

Hi everyone, Tess Rouse. You know, heritage protection really does rely on the property owner, and so I think we do need to be careful when we're speaking about heritage buildings, especially in today's elements of affordability and the economy that we're in. That being said, the township has grant programs to help support people in preserving and restoring those buildings, and I would like to see that expand so that people that are looking to continue to preserve those heritage buildings can do so in a way that makes economic sense for them. Thank you.