Overview
Since time immemorial, the lands we know as Burnaby have been part of the ancestral and unceded territories of the host Nations, who maintain deep and enduring connections to this part of their territory. Burnaby has also been shaped by diverse settler communities with roots across the world. Burnaby’s historic transportation corridors, parks and conservation areas, and diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods are features rooted in the past and valued in the present and they will endure into the future.
Proposed policies in this section aim to:
- Increase collaboration with host Nations to increase awareness of the ongoing connection Indigenous Peoples have to these lands.
- Identify and tell the stories about places of significance that reflect the diverse histories and cultures in Burnaby.
- Preserve tangible heritage resources, or resources that can be touched, such as objects, monuments, buildings or historic sites.
- Integrate heritage resources and stories of special places into Burnaby’s development.
Heritage and Neighbourhood Character Policy Directions
Policy directions
1. Encourage retention of built heritage resources.
a) Provide heritage grants and other incentives to encourage property owners to retain heritage buildings.
b) Use more municipal government tools to require the retention of registered heritage resources, such as Heritage Designations, inclusion on the Community Heritage Register or Heritage Revitalization Agreements.
c) Integrate heritage considerations into the City’s development permit processes and planning.
2. Explore the creation of Cultural Heritage Areas (CHAs) to identify areas with significant concentrations of built heritage resources.
a) Revise City development processes to include protection and enhancement of Cultural Heritage Areas.
Why we are proposing these policies
- In previous phases of engagement, the community expressed they valued heritage buildings in their neighbourhoods.
- Retaining, maintaining and using heritage buildings can be more environmentally friendly than constructing new buildings.
- Integrating heritage applications into Burnaby’s development permitting will streamline the process.
- New provincial legislation that allows higher density development will likely increase redevelopment of heritage houses.
- Creating Cultural Heritage Areas could enable the City to make area-specific development permit guidelines to protect neighbourhoods with many heritage resources.
Policy directions
3. Continue to engage with host Nations to find ways to increase the visibility of Indigenous history and the history of colonialism in Burnaby.
4. Engage with host Nations and community members with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences on heritage initiatives, such as identifying additions to the City’s heritage inventory and commemorating special places.
Why we are proposing these policies
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action include calls to ensure Indigenous histories and the history of colonialism are visible in communities.
- There are few built heritage resources, plaques, memorials or place names that acknowledge the history of current presence of Indigenous Peoples in Burnaby.
- Representatives from three host Nations have expressed support for engaging with the City to increase the visibility of Indigenous histories and current presence in Burnaby.
- Other community engagement has indicated public interest in reflecting more diversity in the City’s heritage program.
- There are few built heritage resources that commemorate non-European settlers.
- To capture a broader range of meaningful places and stories to foster a sense of belonging.
Policy directions
5. Ensure opportunities to identify, manage and commemorate heritage resources are incorporated in the development process.
6. Incorporate commemorative and interpretive elements in urban design and public art.
a) Continue to support public art across Burnaby through the City’s Public Art Policy, to include both public spaces and privately-owned spaces that are accessible to the public.
b) Encourage public art that reflects the history and culture of the host Nations and Burnaby’s diverse community history in public realm and streetscape design.
7. Support initiatives that foster a sense of belonging and support diverse cultural practices in public spaces and facilities.
a) Engage with community to create opportunities for expression of diverse cultural and Indigenous heritage in public spaces, including privately-owned spaces that are publicly accessible.
8. Work with diverse communities to develop creative approaches to storytelling, community programs and exhibits in order to share diverse histories and cultural expression.
Why we are proposing these policies
- Including heritage considerations in the development process will encourage the protection of heritage resources.
- Guidelines for public art will help ensure artwork reflects its location.
- Incorporating community and artist involvement in the design of public spaces will support learning about the history of significant places and the sharing of stories.
- Allowing more flexibility in public spaces for cultural practices (such as smudging or firecrackers) will foster cultural inclusion and expression.
- Sharing diverse histories will help make Burnaby a more welcoming place where people from all cultures can feel like they belong.
- Supports intercultural learning and community cohesion.
Challenges and opportunities
Challenges and opportunities
Challenges
- New opportunities for re-development may make retaining heritage buildings less attractive to property owners.
- Previously recognized and commemorated heritage resources mainly reflect the history of European settlers, so there’s a lack of visibility of host Nations’ connections to the land, art, language and history.
- The City’s existing heritage resources, plaques and monuments do not reflect the diversity of cultures in our community.
- Burnaby is continuing to grow and change, and it can be challenging to preserve special places and stories in new urban development.
Opportunities
- Engage with host Nations to advance reconciliation through increasing the visibility of Indigenous culture, history and heritage in Burnaby.
- Identify a broader range of special places and stories of Burnaby’s history that can be preserved, interpreted and shared to advance equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Approach place-making in a more holistic way by using urban design, public art, interpretive elements and street, trail and building names to recognize special places and stories.
- Preserve existing buildings to avoid demolition waste, which will also support greenhouse gas emission reduction and adaptation to climate change.
- Share stories across cultures to increase cross-cultural awareness and build community connections.
- Foster the ability for communities to use public spaces for cultural traditions, such as smudging.
Engagement findings
Engagement findings
- Neighbourhood character and the built environment was one of the top five themes.
- Community members are concerned that neighbourhood character is being lost because of high-rise development.
- Community members believe that recognizing the historical significance of a place is important.
- Community members want opportunities to learn about Burnaby’s heritage through experiences and interpretive signage. For example, shopping in a historic shopping area or cycling on a heritage trail.
This survey is administered by the City of Burnaby. Personal information collected and used for the purpose of receiving information regarding the Official Community Plan will be managed in accordance with s. 26 (c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All personal information collected through this survey will remain confidential and de-identified when shared with the public. For questions regarding the collection of Personal Information and receipt of electronic messages please contact: Corporate Communications and Marketing at communications@burnaby.ca.
More information
Cultural heritage areas: areas that contain a concentration of heritage buildings or other tangible heritage assets, where incentives and guidelines could be provided to encourage retention. New development in these areas could be encouraged to be sympathetic to nearby heritage assets.
Heritage inventory: a list of tangible heritage assets maintained by the City. Resources listed on the heritage inventory are considered to have heritage value: owners of these resources can request access to incentives to assist with their retention.
Public art: artworks in public areas that may be located on City lands (such as parks, trails, and outside of civic facilities), and those in publicly accessible private sector spaces. Examples could include free-standing works (such as sculptures), work integrated into the architecture or landscape of a building during its construction, other independent artistic expressions in public space (such as a multi-media installation), or monuments.
