Designation of Heritage Places in Municipalities and Rural Communities

Many New Brunswickers take great pride in their own municipality’s history and cultural heritage. Sharing an appreciation of the past often brings local residents together, particularly if a special place exists within the community which reflects its origins or essential heritage character.

To support preservation efforts in such cases, the Heritage Conservation Act provides practical procedures to assist municipal governments in designating and conserving locally significant heritage places.

The Heritage Branch of the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture welcomes enquires regarding any aspect of designating heritage places within municipalities and rural communities.

Under the Act, any municipality in the Province can make by-laws establishing municipal heritage conservation areas. These can be employed to address conservation of building and structures, archaeological and palaeontological sites, cultural landscapes and natural heritage.  Like other municipal by-laws, the process involved includes a formal public review, and ultimate approval by elected councils.  The Act builds on similar provisions which existed previously in legislation, but it expands the scope of heritage resources that can be protected and clarifies the procedures involved.

Another tool for establishing heritage conservation areas also exists in the Act.  A municipal or rural community council may, with the agreement of the property owner concerned, distinguish a specific location within its boundaries by designating it as a local historic place.