Heritage Day 2013

Celebrating Heritage Week!
Good Neighbours: Heritage Homes and Neighbourhoods

HCF promotes the third Monday of February each year as Heritage Day and has long advocated adopting this date as a national holiday.

For February 18, 2013, HCF encourages Canadians to celebrate Heritage Homes and Neighbourdhoods and their importance to our communities.

Whether made up of elaborate Victorian-era homes and turn-of-the-century houses designed by master craftsmen, or simple war-time houses of the mid-20th century, older neighbourhoods are remarkable for their special character, mature trees, walkable streetscapes and proximity to public transit. They have stood the test of time, holding memories and telling the stories of a community’s evolution.

Read about Calgary's week-long Century Homes party, Vancouver's amazing liveable laneways, a Now House Wartime home rehab, and Canada's first-ever Modernist Heritage Conservation District in: Good Neighbours: Heritage Homes and Neighbourhoods.

Preservation is 4 all! Preserving older homes and neighourhoods is important to achieving long-term sustainability. Investing in neglected homes and neighbourhoods can be an opportunity to provide affordable housing, improve public health, and revitalize and stabilize the community. A healthy neighbourhood is as important as a good home!

Here are some suggestions for ways that you can participate on Heritage Day

Here are examples of what some communities are doing for Heritage Day:

City/Municipality	Activity/Activities
St. John's, NL	The Georgestown Neighbourhood Association in St. John’s, NL is hosting a Heritage week event. People and their place: saving neighbourhoods and architecture in the last century.  February 18th, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Bonaventure’s College, Bonaventure Avenue. St. John’s. Shane O’Dea, a well-known proponent for architectural preservation, will be talking about conservation in St. John’s and, in particular, in Georgestown.  A discussion and refreshments will follow.
Westmount, Montreal, Quebec	Westmount Historical Association, Quebec info@westmounthistorical.org We are organizing a photographic display of heritage neighbourhoods within the City of Westmount. It will be held in Westmount Public Library.  4574 Sherbrooke St. West. on Feb. 18th. from 12 noon to 9:00pm.Members of the Westmount Historical Association will be in attendance to explain and answer questions.
Ottawa, Ontario	Presented by: City of Ottawa Central Archives   Help celebrate Ottawa’s diverse culture and heritage on Tuesday February 21, 2012! The Cultural & Heritage Services Branch of the City of Ottawa present Heritage Day, an annual event taking place at Ottawa City Hall, located at 110 Laurier Avenue West. 11am-3pm.   HCF at Ottawa City Hall