As you read this, the first of 41 heritage buildings that could
have been the core of a major historic redevelopment of one of
Ontario's most important main streets has been torn down, the rest soon
to follow. I can't tell you how disturbing it was to watch Council
"debate" this issue, how they crapped all over the Federal Government's
FedDev for actually following the rules, how they suddenly became
libertarians who were going to reject federal and provincial funding
from now on; one councillor, who was previously against demolition,
switched his vote because he was outraged that the Federal Government
had the nerve to come out against demolition!
(you can watch the whole thing here
on Rogers. It is a dramatic bit of TV; the passionate deputants, I
cried; the pregnant pause as we wait for the rude councillor who does
not bother showing up to hear them, and then complains about the strings
that come with government money for social services and everything
else, as if Brantford could survive an hour without it)
So they
decided to blow off the Federal grant of $1.38 million and not do the
heritage and archaeological investigations that FedDev wants because a)
they will cost money and time and b) they might actually find something
and not be able to take down the buildings. (Read the UEM report here) They
don't even wait for Ventin Architects to finish their $90,000
documentation of the site, but give the finger to everyone by starting
Tuesday morning.
And they call it progress, and announce that
they are going to build a Y or an athletic facility on the site,
starting off with money from SC Johnson, probably America's biggest
supporter of heritage, builders and custodians of Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson Wax building in
Racine. I wonder what the Johnson family will say when they learn
that they have money going into the rubble of 41 Heritage buildings.
Our
only hope was the Minister of Culture, and his powers under the
Heritage Act, but the silence from his office yesterday was deafening.
However I have nothing but good things to say about his staff, who have
consistently been supportive and understanding and always returned my
calls and listened to my rants.
It is not too late for Minister
Chan to act, and I hope that he does. But Brant County is complicated,
and we have to work with him and the Ministry and I will assume that he
and his staff, part of a progressive government that has done some
remarkable things, know what they are doing. Practice in Mirror.
Rinse. Repeat.
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