Nominating a Historical Resource

Resources become nominated in the following ways:

• Transferred from the Former Inventory
• All buildings that were on the former Inventory of Buildings under the former Historical Buildings By-law were deemed to be nominated on the date that the new Historical Resources By-law came into effect - June 1, 2014
• These must be reviewed by the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee (HBRC) for heritage status by May 30, 2020
• On June 1, 2014, the Nominated List included approximately 130 resources
• Owner-initiated
• Upon payment of a fee, an owner may apply to the Director of Planning, Property and Development Department (PPD) to nominate their resource
• The application must list the elements of the resource that the applicant is seeking to have protected
• The Director must decide within 90 days whether or not to nominate the resource.
• If the Director decides to nominate, the resource must be reviewed by the HBRC within 12 months from the date the Director decides to nominate
• If the Director decides not to nominate, the owner may appeal the Director's decision to the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development, Heritage, and Downtown Development (SPC PDHDD)
• Director-initiated
  • The Director may nominate a resource if it is owned by the City or if it not a single-family residential building
  • These must be reviewed by the HBRC within 12 months from the date the Director decides to nominate

Decision making process for determining heritage status

In making a recommendation on whether a resource should be added to the List, the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee (HBRC) considers:

• Heritage Values (architectural & historic significance)
  • AGE - Its importance in illustrating or interpreting the history of the city or a neighbourhood
  • PERSON - It association with important individuals, groups, or events
  • CONTEXT - Its illustration of the architectural or design history of the city
  • STYLE - Its embodiment of distinct or unusual architectural or design characteristics or a particular style or method of construction
  • LOCATION - Its location in an area of historical or architectural interest
  • INTACTNESS - Its historical or architectural integrity
• Character Defining Elements (these would be protected under the Listing)
  • Can be an element of a building or of a landscape
  • Can be on the exterior or interior of a building
  • Some examples include: stone façade, metal cornice, pressed tin ceiling, etc.

In determining whether a resource should be added to the List, the SPC PDHDD considers:

• HBRC's Recommendation
  • The architectural or historic significance of the resource in the heritage values it embodies
• Economic Viability (presented by the owner via written submission or in delegation)
  • The condition of the resource
  • The costs of the continued repair and maintenance of the resource
  • The importance and value derived from the conservation or continued conservation of the resource
  • Efforts that have been made by the owner to date to conserve the resource
  • The merits of alternative proposals for the resource or the site on which it is located, other than conserving the resource by adding it to the List

In determining whether a resource should be added to the List, the SPC PDHDD considers:

• HBRC's Recommendation
  • The architectural or historic significance of the resource in the heritage values it embodies
• Economic Viability (presented by the owner via written submission or in delegation)
  • The condition of the resource
  • The costs of the continued repair and maintenance of the resource
  • The importance and value derived from the conservation or continued conservation of the resource
  • Efforts that have been made by the owner to date to conserve the resource
  • The merits of alternative proposals for the resource or the site on which it is located, other than conserving the resource by adding it to the List

Historical Resource Nomination Application Form

In Complete Communities 2.0, section G7 Heritage Conservation, policy direction includes that the City recognizes, identifies, and designates a broad range of tangible heritage resources and districts throughout the city that illustrate Winnipeg’s unique sense of place, community identity, and heritage values using Winnipeg’s Historical Thematic Framework as means of evaluating heritage significance.

The Framework is an additional tool to use in the evaluation of nominated resources and heritage conservation districts because it places heritage value within a broader context. 

On July 17, 2019, the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee endorsed the Winnipeg Thematic Framework.