Toronto Preservation Board
The full agenda, as filed
All 4 items in the clerk’s order. Each carries the city’s own words: the staff recommendation, what the body decided, and its status. Nothing below is written by us.
PB41.1adopted
This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 817 Mount Pleasant Road under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance which includes a description of heritage attributes found in Attachment 1. The subject property at 817 Mount Pleasant Road is located on the southeast corner of Mount Pleasant Road and Roehampton Avenue one block north of Eglinton Avenue East in the Mount Pleasant East neighbourhood. It contains a Mid-Century Modernist style church, bell tower, and columbarium. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property is found in Attachment 2. The distinctive A-Frame Mid-Century Modernist style church with bell tower is an architectural landmark on Mount Pleasant Road. Commissioned by Estonian immigrants and designed by Estonian-Canadian architect and church member Michael Bach (1916-1972), St. Peter's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church was constructed in 1955 and dedicated as a memorial to the thousands of Estonians who died in both World Wars, the Estonian War of Independence, and as refugees. Since its construction it has continuously served as an active place of worship and commemoration site for Toronto's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran community and as a cultural hub for the broader Estonian-Canadian community for over 70 years. Staff have determined that the property at 817 Mount Pleasant Road has cultural heritage value and meets 5 of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria. In accordance with 3.1.6.50 of the Official Plan and the City's Protocol for the Identification and Review of Heritage Places of Worship, Heritage Planning staff consulted members of the Council of St. Peter's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church to determine if any of the heritage attributes identified in the Statement of Significance and in a future designating by-law were liturgical elements, and therefore not subject to regulation while the property remained in use by the congregation. St. Peter's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church confirmed that none of the identified attributes were liturgical elements. The property was listed on the City's Heritage Register on June 14-15, 2023. While staff were consulting with the Church, the property was deemed removed from the Register on June 14, 2025, two years after its listing date in accordance with the Act, however this does not restrict Council's ability to designate the property at this time. Designation enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.
The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that: 1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 817 Mount Pleasant Road under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 817 Mount Pleasant Road St. Peter's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1 to the report (February 24, 2026) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning. 2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Staff recommendation as filed
The Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning recommends that: 1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 817 Mount Pleasant Road under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 817 Mount Pleasant Road St. Peter's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1 to the report (February 24, 2026) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning. 2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
PB41.2adopted
This report recommends that City Council refuse alterations to the property at 699 and 707 Yonge Street under Part IV, Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act, in connection with the proposed redevelopment of the site. The property at 699 and 707 Yonge Street contains a 3-storey brick row building constructed in 1887. The Brass Rail Tavern has operated at 699 Yonge Street since 1948. Both halves of the commercial row at 699 and 707 Yonge Street have been over-clad, obscuring the original brick walls underneath. In conjunction with an Official Plan and Zoning Amendment application, the redevelopment proposes a 64-storey plus mechanical penthouse mixed-use building, which retains the façade of the heritage building and incorporates it into the three-storey base of the tower, with a stepback depth of 3 metres from the heritage façade on the Yonge Street (west) elevation. The proposed 3-metre tower stepback from Yonge Street above the heritage building and the proposed treatment of the front elevation at the ground floor do not adequately conserve the property's cultural heritage values and attributes. Therefore, the proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment does not conform with the policies of the Official Plan and does not conserve the cultural heritage values and attributes of the property at 699 and 707 Yonge Street.
The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that: 1. City Council refuse the application to alter the designated heritage property/properties at 699 and 707 Yonge Street under Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act to allow for the construction of a 64-storey (217 metres, including mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building, in accordance with the plans and drawings dated September 15, 2022 prepared by DIALOG on file with the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning and the Heritage Impact Assessment prepared by ERA Architects Inc. dated September 15, 2022 and on file with the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning. 2. If the owner appeals City Council's decision to refuse the application for alterations to the heritage property at 699 and 707 Yonge Street under Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act, Council authorize the City Solicitor and the necessary City staff to attend the Ontario Land Tribunal hearing in opposition to the appeal.
Staff recommendation as filed
The Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning recommends that: 1. City Council refuse the application to alter the designated heritage property/properties at 699 and 707 Yonge Street under Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act to allow for the construction of a 64-storey (217 metres, including mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building, in accordance with the plans and drawings dated September 15, 2022 prepared by DIALOG on file with the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning and the Heritage Impact Assessment prepared by ERA Architects Inc. dated September 15, 2022 and on file with the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning. 2. If the owner appeals City Council's decision to refuse the application for alterations to the heritage property at 699 and 707 Yonge Street under Section 33 of the Ontario Heritage Act, Council authorize the City Solicitor and the necessary City staff to attend the Ontario Land Tribunal hearing in opposition to the appeal.
PB41.3adopted
On August 10, 2022, Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications were submitted seeking permission for a 28-storey (93 metres, including mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building with retail at-grade along Spadina Avenue. The proposal included retail at grade, two levels of office, and 521 residential units above. The façade of the existing four-storey factory building was proposed to be retained and incorporated into the new development. On May 15, 2024, the owner submitted a revised proposal for a 30-storey (99 metres, including mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building with retail at-grade, no office component, and 550 residential units. On July 9, 2024, the owner appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal ("OLT") due to Council not making a decision on the application within the timeframe prescribed by the Planning Act. The property at 46 Spadina Avenue (including 40, 42, 44 and 50 Spadina Avenue) includes a 4-storey building that was constructed in 1907 with later additions in the 1940s. It is known as the "Systems Building" and is identified as a contributing Industrial/Commercial building within the King-Spadina Heritage Conservation District (KSHCD) Plan. The properties at 58 Spadina Avenue (including 60 Spadina Avenue) and 378 Wellington Street West are non-contributing properties in the KSHCD Plan. On July 16, 2024, the applicant submitted an application under Section 42 of the Ontario Heritage Act to alter the designated Systems Building and demolish three small adjacent buildings to allow for the construction of a new 30-storey mixed-use building within the KSHCD, which was approved by Council on March 26 and 27, 2025. The owner now seeks Council's consent for revised alterations to the Systems Building. Council requires the advice of the Toronto Preservation Board in respect of matters which may impact a designated heritage property.
The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that: 1. City Council adopt the confidential instructions to staff contained in Confidential Attachment 1 to the revised report (March 5, 2026) from the City Solicitor. 2. City Council authorize the public release of the confidential recommendations contained in Confidential Attachment 1, along with the entirety of Confidential Appendix A to the revised report (March 5, 2026) from the City Solicitor, if adopted by City Council, at the discretion of the City Solicitor. 3. City Council direct that all other information contained in Confidential Attachment 1 to the revised report (March 5, 2026) from the City Solicitor, is to remain confidential at the discretion of the City Solicitor, as it is about litigation before the Ontario Land Tribunal and contains advice or communications that are subject to solicitor-client privilege.
Staff recommendation as filed
The City Solicitor recommends that: 1. City Council adopt the confidential instructions to staff contained in Confidential Attachment 1 to this report from the City Solicitor. 2. City Council authorize the public release of the confidential recommendations contained in Confidential Attachment 1, along with the entirety of Confidential Appendix "A" to this report from the City Solicitor, if adopted by City Council, at the discretion of the City Solicitor. 3. City Council direct that all other information contained in Confidential Attachment 1 to this report from the City Solicitor is to remain confidential at the discretion of the City Solicitor, as it is about litigation before the Ontario Land Tribunal and contains advice or communications that are subject to solicitor-client privilege.
PB41.4amended
Bloor - Yorkville Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment - Final Report
This report summarizes the findings of the Bloor-Yorkville Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment (CHRA). Staff recommend that Council adopt the list of identified properties with potential cultural heritage value or interest in Attachment 2. Staff also recommend that Council direct staff to review a portion of the Yorkville Village Core to determine if the area, or a part thereof, merits Council's authorization of a Heritage Conservation District study under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. In April 2017, Council directed the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District to prepare a new Site and Area Specific Policy for the Bloor-Yorkville Area. In early 2021, City Planning initiated the Bloor-Yorkville Secondary Plan Study, inclusive of a Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment (CHRA). A CHRA documents and analyzes an area's development history to identify properties with potential cultural heritage value and to make heritage conservation recommendations. A Historic Context Statement (HCS) is produced within the CHRA to explain the area's contemporary form and character. The HCS identifies significant periods of historical evolution, analyzes key themes, studies individual properties in relation to themes and historic periods and considers the relationship of properties to one another and their context, to inform the identification of buildings and landscapes with potential cultural heritage value. In February 2021, Heritage Planning staff and a consultant team, Common Bond Collective, initiated the CHRA, which included community engagement within the Secondary Plan study and through a Heritage Focus Group. In the fall of 2022, the Secondary Plan study was put on hold, and the related CHRA was paused. On June 19, 2024, Official Plan Amendment 720 came into effect City-wide, which among other matters, established the requirement for a Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report (CHER) under Schedule 3 of the Official Plan for Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments and Plan of Subdivision applications where a property has been adopted by City Council through a City-led study as having potential cultural heritage value or interest, but which is not included on the Heritage Register. As the Provincial Planning Policy (PPS 2024) Policy 4.6.4(b) encourages planning authorities to develop and implement proactive strategies for conserving significant built heritage resources and cultural heritage landscapes, Heritage Planning along with its consultants re-activated the CHRA in summer 2025 and completed the final report in December 2025. This report presents the methodology and results of the City-led Bloor-Yorkville CHRA consultant study and provides staff recommendations, including the identification of 88 properties with potential cultural heritage value and the potential to authorize a study of a portion of the Yorkville Village Core as a potential Heritage Conservation District. The CHRA also identified the need for city staff to continue Indigenous engagement within the study area to identify places that hold cultural heritage value for Indigenous communities.
The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that: 1. City Council identify the properties listed in Attachment 2 to the report (February 25, 2026) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning, as having potential cultural heritage value or interest, as identified through the Bloor-Yorkville Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment study. 2. City Council direct the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning to undertake all necessary steps, including community consultation, to determine whether the Yorkville Village Core, or a part thereof, merits authorization for study as a potential Heritage Conservation District under Section 40(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act on the potential to authorize this study and to report back to the Toronto Preservation Board in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Staff recommendation as filed
The Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning recommends that: 1. City Council identify the properties listed in Attachment 2 as having potential cultural heritage value or interest, as identified through the Bloor-Yorkville Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment study. 2. City Council direct the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning to undertake all necessary steps, including community consultation, to determine whether the Yorkville Village Core, or a part thereof, merits authorization for study as a potential Heritage Conservation District under Section 40(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act.