The Huntsville and Area Historical Society (HAHS) is urging the Town of Huntsville to take action to protect its built heritage, including introducing financial incentives for property owners and establishing a future heritage committee.

In May, Sharon McKenzie, Elizabeth Stokes, Lucille Frith and Katrina Cotterchio attended the Town’s General Committee, representing the society. Catterchio outlined recent achievements and presented recommendations to preserve the town’s historic buildings ahead of upcoming provincial changes under Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.

Under the legislation, any property listed on a municipality’s non-designated heritage register will be automatically removed on Jan. 1, 2027, unless the municipality has issued a Notice of Intention to Designate (NOID) before that date.

As a result, municipalities must review their heritage registers and determine which properties warrant formal designation. Once a property is removed from the non-designated register, it cannot be added back for five years. Bill 23 also raises the threshold for heritage designation.

Councillors heard that one of the society’s major accomplishments has been the completion of a significant heritage digitization project undertaken with the help of a summer student in 2025. The work helped refine the municipality’s inventory of properties of heritage interest, reducing a list of approximately 250 buildings to 60 properties considered worthy of further attention.