Decades ago in my hometown of Cowansville, Quebec they tore down heritage homes in a blink of an eye. Cowansville, is the same size as Carleton Place, Ontario where I have lived since 1981. My father was a Councillor and a deputy mayor at the time and I kept asking him why. His reply was always that is was progress.
These homes were stately homes like the Robinson home pictured above that is going the way of progress-– meaning being torn down. Read the article here.
The above photos are of what was once my Grandfather Crittenden’s home, the Cowan residence. This was also torn down years back. Granted it was a shell of what it once was- but neglect similar to that of the Findlay home in Carleton Place left no choice on the matter.
Sometimes we can’t save homes, but we can plan the fate of our towns. I read some wise words today from a former Cowansville, Quebec resident also concerned about the fate of small towns. I think we should take these words to heart Carleton Place for the sake of our town. Read that last line.
Rupert H Dobbin —Years ago when Ottawa’s ‘inner city’ was rapidly becoming a slum we changed the zoning so that a residential building could not be replaced by something bigger. Suddenly it cost more to demolish and replace than to repair and update. Entire neighbourhoods revived and now are very desirable to live in. It was challenged in the courts but was deemed legal. With the revival, the commercial areas also revived. It’s now the place to live and the place to go for restaurants and pubs. Maintained the same in Kingston with equal success. If the huge project is not allowed there is reason to maintain the existing. It’s called planning.
Author’s Note- While we as the small town of Carleton Place are not tearing down older homes— Dobbin’s words of planning is crucial. Slow-growing and shrinking rural areas might find that their policies are not bringing the prosperity they seek, while fast-growing rural areas at the edge of metropolitan regions face metropolitan-style development pressures.
Smart growth strategies can help rural communities achieve their goals for growth and development while maintaining their distinctive rural character.Planning where development should or should not go can help a rural community encourage growth in town.
Policies that protect the rural landscape help preserve open space, protect air and water quality, provide places for recreation, and create tourist attractions that bring investments into the local economy.
Words to think about
“We never fail when we try to do our duty, we always fail when we neglect to do it”. Robert Baden-Powell
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