Heritage lighthouses designation process
How lighthouses were nominated for heritage designation
A public petition process was established to enable residents of Canada to nominate lighthouses important to them for designation. The petition process ran for two years, from 29 May 2010 to 29 May 2012. Petitions had to specify which lighthouse was being nominated and be signed by at least 25 residents of Canada 18 years of age or older. Any lighthouse in Canada owned by the federal government was eligible to be nominated for designation under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act. Almost 350 lighthouses were nominated during the petition process.
Lighthouses nominated by way of a petition
Thousands of Canadians nominated hundreds of lighthouses during the public petition period that ran from 29 May 2010 to 29 May 2012. The list of lighthouses that were petitioned to be considered for heritage designation under the Act is published in the Canada Gazette.
How heritage lighthouses are designated
Heritage lighthouses are designated by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change responsible for Parks Canada on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. A lighthouse will be recommended for designation when it meets the established historical, architectural and community value criteria. The criteria for designation are based on nationally and internationally recognized heritage evaluation criteria and are designed to help evaluators to identify and articulate a lighthouse’s heritage character.
Surplus lighthouses
Surplus lighthouses are lighthouses that the federal government, particularly, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has determined to be surplus to its operational requirements.
A surplus lighthouse that meets the established designation criteria can be designated if a person or body commits to buy or otherwise acquire the lighthouse and protect its heritage character. Proposals to acquire and protect surplus lighthouses are evaluated through DFO’s business plan process. A surplus lighthouse is typically evaluated by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada after DFO accepts a business plan as the basis to negotiate a sale or transfer agreement.
Process for a petitioned lighthouse that is surplus to federal operational requirements
Additional actions are required in the evaluation and designation process for a lighthouse that is surplus to operational requirements, as indicated by the sections underlined below:
Step 1 – Once Fisheries and Oceans Canada advises Parks Canada that they have received a written commitment from a person or body, heritage research begins for the consideration of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (the Board).
Step 2 – The lighthouse is evaluated by the Board, taking into account the designation criteria. The Board makes a recommendation to the Minister that the lighthouse be designated or not.
If applicable, the Board also considers and makes a recommendation on related buildings, such as keepers’ residences and fog alarm buildings. Related buildings may be included in a heritage lighthouse designation if they are found to contribute to the heritage character of the lighthouse.
Step 3 – Pending confirmation from Fisheries and Oceans Canada that a written commitment to buy or otherwise acquire and protect the lighthouse has been finalized, and taking into account the recommendation of the Board and the heritage designation criteria, the Minister will determine whether to designate the lighthouse as a heritage lighthouse and whether to include any related building(s) in the designation.
Individual purchasing of surplus lighthouses
DFO is responsible for negotiating the sale or transfer agreements for the surplus lighthouses under its administration. To facilitate finding a new owner, DFO established a business plan process to evaluate proposals to acquire and protect a heritage lighthouse. For more information on acquiring a surplus lighthouse, please see DFO’s webpage on heritage lighthouses or contact them at info@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
Not surplus lighthouses
Not surplus lighthouses are those that are not surplus to federal operational requirements and will stay in the federal inventory. A not surplus lighthouse can be designated and there is no need to have a written commitment to acquire and protect before a not surplus lighthouse is designated. There are currently 43 non-surplus lighthouses designated under the Act. They are administered by DFO, Parks Canada and Environment Canada.
Process for a petitioned lighthouse that is not surplus to federal operational requirements
For a lighthouse that is not surplus to operational requirements, the evaluation and designation process is relatively straightforward:
Step 1 – Parks Canada prepares heritage research for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (the Board).
Step 2 – The lighthouse is evaluated by the Board, taking into account the designation criteria.The Board makes a recommendation to the Minister that the lighthouse be designated or not.
If applicable, the Board also considers and makes a recommendation on related buildings, such as keepers’ residences and fog alarm buildings. Related buildings may be included in a heritage lighthouse designation if they are found to contribute to the heritage character of the lighthouse.
Step 3 – Taking into account the recommendation of the Board and the heritage designation criteria, the Minister will determine whether to designate the lighthouse as a heritage lighthouse and whether to include any related building(s) in the designation.
Timeline of designation process
Planning for heritage lighthouse designations is challenging because the designation of surplus lighthouses is contingent upon DFO finalizing a written commitment with a third party to acquire and protect the lighthouses; it is difficult to predict when these agreements will be concluded. DFO continues to work with community-based organizations and other levels of government to find responsible, viable new owners for many cherished lighthouses across Canada. Once DFO notifies Parks Canada that they have received a written commitment from a person or body, the Agency begins the evaluation process.
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