Council votes to expand supports for heritage property owners

By Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist and Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

At their last meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, Council voted to expand supports for heritage property owners.

In Kingston, a growing number of property owners have raised concerns about heritage designation impacting affordability and access to insurance. In some cases, this has resulted in Council opting not to designate a property or, in one case, repealing an existing designation.

The decision was made to expand the existing Heritage Property Grant Program starting in 2026 and develop a new zero-interest loan program to help cover conservation and restoration projects.

This move comes after a motion earlier this year where Council called on the Province and insurance companies to address why some heritage-designated properties are facing these issues.

Listen to the full story here.