At the September 24, 2025 City Council meeting, the Built Heritage Committee submitted their Report 25 to Ottawa City Council for their consideration. In their Report was an item of interest to many residents of Stittsville – Demolition of 5897 Fernbank Road, a property designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, File No. ACS2025-PDB-RHU-0055 Stittsville (Ward 6) – a motion carried by the Built Heritage Committee on September 9, 2025.
The statutory 90-day timeline for consideration of this application under the Ontario Heritage Act will expire on November 16, 2025.
At the time of the initial Built Heritage Committee meeting on September 9th, submissions were sent for consideration by the members from Heritage Ottawa, as well as the Goulbourn Township Historical Society. They were sent to Court Curry, the Manager for Right of Way, Heritage and Urban Design Services.
To read the full report submitted on August 28, 2025 to the Built Heritage Committee for the September 9th Committee meeting and the September 24th Council meeting visit this link (the public submissions are not included in this report).
Below is the submission to the Built Heritage Committee from the Goulbourn Township Historical Society which they shared with Stittsville Central.
“Firstly, we would like to thank the City of Ottawa’s Built Heritage Committee and its staff for the opportunity to share with you the GTHS’ perspective and position on the proposed demolition of the Flewellyn-Jones Heritage building located at 5897 Fernbank Road.
We also wish to express our support for the owners of the home and property who were traumatically uprooted by the fire of March 26th with the resulting loss of their home and belongings. We hope that those involved are doing as best as can be expected given the circumstances they faced unexpectedly from this fire.
As a local historical society, the GTHS is dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and promotion of our local history through our publicly accessible archives, our program and speaker series, participation in community events, and other activities. The GTHS aims to preserve the local histories of the communities
of Stittsville, Hazeldean, Richmond, Ashton, Munster, and the surrounding rural areas.
We consider the proposed demolition of this heritage building rather unfortunate given the historic significance of the building and its property. Indeed, this historic significance was the justification and rationale for its designation as a Heritage Property under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 2016.
We acknowledge the concerns over the structural integrity of the building and the difficult legal and financial circumstances that the property owner now faces as a result of the fire. Yet, as a local historical society, we would suggest that the pending decision to formally decide on the demolition of this building be reconsidered so that sufficient time can be given to explore other creative possibilities for the future of this heritage building other than demolition. Afterall, it has only been five months since the actual fire.
The GTHS Board, or representatives from it, would be willing to work with Councillor Gower, the property owner, and possibly other community partners, such as the Stittsville Village Association and the Stittsville Business Association, to explore possibilities for this heritage building other than demolition. Heritage buildings can be attractive locations for small, retail business, such as cafes, restaurants, and bakeries. There are also examples of heritage buildings becoming spas and used as professional offices. The stone home at 1837 Maple Grove Road that is surrounded by a new housing development in Stittsville is being converted into a bakery. There is also the case of the famous Cheshire Cat Pub that is located in a stone, one room schoolhouse that reopened after a damaging fire after a period of time. The historic building was restored and the business was relaunched.
Finally, we would also put forth the following idea, although this idea will not resolve the immediate issue of the future of this particular heritage building. As the City of Ottawa continues to grow and expand, the coexistence of proposed developments and heritage buildings and properties can clash and come into
conflict. This is particularly noticeable in the communities outside of the City’s core and suburban belt where development is expanding in areas of rural villages, small towns, and agricultural land. A recent example of this is the Bradley Farm and barn located on Hazeldean Road in between Kanata and Stittsville.
Heritage buildings need a home…a possible home for them to continue to exist by being relocated to a “heritage village” rather than being demolished to accommodate developments. An example of this concept is the Cumberland Heritage Village and Museum located in Cumberland that maintains such a
heritage village and museum with over 20 heritage and heritage reproduction buildings. We believe that a similar “heritage village” is needed for the western and southern area of the City and the Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton that could be a future home for heritage buildings by relocating some of them. Thus, heritage buildings would be preserved for posterity and future generations of our community.
Obviously, criteria would need to be established to determine the feasibility and practicality of relocating heritage buildings in terms of cost, portability and structural design. Yet, we believe that this would be a proactive policy solution and mindset for occasions when development and the heritage buildings come into conflict.”
The Report and relating documents will now move on to the Provincial government’s Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy for their consideration and action prior to the expiration date of November 16, 2025 under the Ontario Heritage Act.