Project Background

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is a vibrant, growing community defined by its cultural heritage, agricultural setting and location at the mouth of the Niagara River. Niagara-on-the-Lake contains five urban areas, each with its own unique heritage character.
The “Old Town” urban area contains the Town’s only Heritage Conservation District, the “Queen-Picton Heritage Conservation District” (the “Queen-Picton HCD” or “HCD”), designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1986 (by-law 1667-86, approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in February of 1987, updated through By-law 4362-10).
Heritage Conservation Districts recognize the collective heritage value of an area or neighbourhood that has common elements or themes. Through designation under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, municipalities can identify and preserve these areas with unique heritage character through guidelines for managing future development and alteration of existing heritage structures. The Queen-Picton HCD is recognized for its collection of residential and commercial buildings that were constructed as early as 1815, the rebuilding period after the former Town of “Niagara” was burned in 1813.
HCD Study - General Information

The Queen-Picton Heritage Conservation District (“HCD”) was enacted in 1986 to protect the commercial core of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Old Town area (“Old Town”).
As early as 1990, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake (“Town”) revisited ways to protect, preserve, and celebrate Old Town with proposed policy updates and studies aimed at updating the HCD Plan.
Updating the HCD Plan and considering an expansion of the HCD was identified as a priority through the Town’s Planning for Progress initiative (2021).
Consultant Team - Cultural Spaces

The Town has awarded the contract for the Queen-Picton Heritage Conservation District Study (the “HCD Study”) to Cultural Spaces, an Ottawa-based heritage consultancy firm.
Cultural Spaces is a multidisciplinary and bilingual team of specialists in heritage, sustainable development, and planning. They prepared the following description of their firm, which highlights the breadth of their work, expertise, and ethos as heritage consultants:
"We are a firm that combines heritage conservation and sustainable development strategies. We help manage change to preserve what matters. We combine expertise in heritage planning, urban planning, historical research, and architectural analyses. "
More information about the Cultural Spaces team can be found on their website: www.culturalspaces.ca.
Project Phases & Timeline
The project is currently in the Study Phase. Information about the project timeline will be updated on this page.

Engagement Opportunities
A significant component of this HCD Study is the emphasis on engagement with local heritage experts, advocates, and researchers.
Relevant Staff Reports:
Heritage Conservation District Study – Information and Status Update, CDS-24-131
Heritage Conservation District Study Volunteer Group – Summary of Findings and Next Steps, CDS-24-164
Queen-Picton Heritage Conservation District Study – Phase 1 Update, CDS-24-190

Frequently Asked Questions
This section will be updated as questions arise.
Staff Contact Information
Candice Bogdanski, Senior Heritage Planner, is the Staff Project Lead for the Queen-Picton HCD Study. Please contact her at any time with questions and feedback:
Email: heritage@notl.com
Telephone: (905) 468‑3266, ext. 268
Mail to:
Town of Niagara‑on‑the‑Lake
1593 Four Mile Creek Road
P.O. Box 100, Virgil, ON L0S 1T0
Website: www.notl.com