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Heritage Outreach

Heritage Outreach - Connecting you with the unique and rich heritage of Kawartha Lakes

Our community has a deep-rooted connection to its heritage and legacy that deserves both celebration and preservation. Explore the captivating stories that have shaped our region, as well as the diverse array of activities designed to foster a deeper understanding of our collective past.

Understanding and embracing our heritage is more than a nostalgic journey; it is a key to unlocking a sense of identity and belonging. Whether you're a lifelong resident or a newcomer, our Heritage Outreach initiatives provide a gateway to connecting with our collective past. All of us play a role in preserving and promoting the unique heritage that makes Kawartha Lakes a special place to live, work, and thrive. 

Emily Turner

Economic Development Officer - Heritage Planning
705-324-9411 extension 1366

Laura Love

Economic Development Officer - Curatorial Services
705-324-9411 extension 2151
llove@kawarthalakes.ca

Discover Upcoming Events

Archaeological Management Plan text on top of a picture of historic artifacts
Archaeological Management Plan

The City is completing a new Archaeological Management Plan (AMP)!

Our new AMP is being developed to guide how we manage archaeological resources across Kawartha Lakes.

Public meetings for this project were held throughout fall 2024. Check out our Jump In project page for more information on this project and upcoming public events.

Workshops with blue background and an old picture of Fenelon Falls in the background
Workshops & Learning

The City’s Heritage Planning program hosts various workshops for heritage property owners and community members interested in our built history throughout the year. Check back here for updates on future workshops and learning opportunities.

Is there a heritage workshop you think we should host and would be beneficial to the community? Let us know!

Upcoming Workshops

Please stay tuned to this page for information on upcoming workshops in 2025!

Discover Our Heritage Awards

Celebrating Heritage Efforts: Osprey Heritage Awards

Every other year, the City of Kawartha Lakes Municipal Heritage Committee hosts the Osprey Heritage Awards. These awards are given out to members of the community who have made exemplary contributions to the preservation and promotion of heritage in Kawartha Lakes.

The next Osprey Heritage Awards will take place in 2025. Information regarding nomination process is posted in early September of the year of the awards. Check back here for more information or explore our award categories below:

feather icon in circle

Publication & Research

checkmarkNon-fiction work about Kawartha Lakes archeological, built, cultural and/or natural heritage (example: exhibits, books, articles, etc.)

 

timeline with arrow icon

Community Heritage

checkmarkA volunteer-based organization or individual that promotes and/or protects heritage in the City of Kawartha Lakes

 

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Heritage Restoration / Adaptive Reuse

An award for:

checkmarkPreservation work that protects, maintains and stabilizes the original form, material and integrity of a historic place

checkmarkRehabilitation work involving sensitive adaptation of an historic place or individual component for a continuing or compatible contemporary use

checkmarkRestoration work that reveals, recovers or represents the state of an historic place or individual component as it appeared at a particular period in its history

checkmarkProperty and buildings well maintained

Group photo at the last Osprey Heritage Awards
Osprey awards presentation
Osprey Heritage award recipients group picture
Economic Development heritage team
Celebrating Heritage Organizations: Heritage Miilestone Award

The City of Kawartha Lakes is excited to announce that the Municipal Heritage Committee will be further celebrating community heritage with a new award, the Heritage Milestone Award. This award acknowledges, in 25 year increments, the dedication of heritage organizations within the City of Kawartha Lakes.

This award will be presented to the heritage organization recipient(s) the same date as the Osprey Heritage Awards. Heritage organizations are defined as community museums, archives and historical societies.

Nomination Process

checkmarkNominations will be accepted for any individual, organization or businesses in Kawartha Lakes that has had an impact on local heritage in one of the award categories.

checkmarkNominees must be informed of and consent to the nomination. You may self-nominate.

checkmarkIndividual nominees must reside, work or invest in the City of Kawartha Lakes

checkmarkBusiness and organization nominees must have a location in the City of Kawartha Lakes

checkmarkProjects and programs being nominated must be completed before they are eligible for an award.

Award Eligibility

checkmarkAll property uses are eligible (residential, commercial, institutional, private, public, etc.)

checkmarkAll heritage categories are eligible (archeological, built, cultural, and/or natural, etc.)

checkmarkActive members of the City of Kawartha Lakes Municipal Heritage Committee and all related committees and working groups are not eligible for award nomination.

The nominations will be adjudicated by a panel of judges that consist of members of the Municipal Heritage Committee and the Outreach Subcommittee. The judges have the discretion to place any entry into an alternate category with the nominator’s permission. The judges who have submitted nominations will recuse themselves from that particular nomination decision. All decisions are final.

Past Award Recipients

2018

Architectural Heritage
Jim O’Reilly, Old Lindsay Post

Archaeology History
Tim Mohr

Community Heritage
Ian McKechnie

Business Leader Heritage
Aaron Young, Pie Eyed Monk Brewery

Heritage Vision
Lisa Hart

2023

Publication and Research
Sarah Walker Howe for Historic Citizens of Kawartha Lakes

Community Heritage
Manvers Township Historical Society

Heritage Preservation/Adaptive Re-Use
Paulette Sopoci for Primrose Hill Manor

Heritage Milestone Award
A. Sheila Boyd Foundation/Boyd Heritage Museum (25 years)


Discover Doors Open

Image of historic townhall with Doors Open Ontario logo
Doors Open
Thank you to all of our Doors Open sites and visitors in 2024! We look forward to our next Doors Open event in 2026.

The City of Kawartha Lakes has participated in Doors Open for over a decade. The event has been organized and run by various groups throughout the years but, since 2019, has been primarily organized by the Kawartha Lakes Municipal Heritage Committee and has taken place on the second Sunday in September. A subcommittee is formed to act as the organizing Committee for the event and are supported by Economic Development staff. The City hosts Doors Open Ontario biannually (alternates with Osprey Heritage Awards).

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding upcoming or past Doors Open events.


Want to learn more about our heritage? Explore more...

Sturgeon Point Church
Heritage Designation
We conserve our heritage resources through heritage designation. Designation recognizes and celebrates important historic properties in Kawartha Lakes and helps manage change to ensure that the important buildings in our communities retain their historic character.
Heritage property plaque on a brick building
Heritage Inventory Project
Our historic places define our communities, tell our stories, and provide opportunities for the future. The City is undertaking a comprehensive inventory of its historic places, buildings, and landscapes through identifying and documenting the many heritage resources in our communities to understand what resources are present, their significance, and how best to preserve them. 
old house through trees
Heritage Permitting
Owners of designated properties, both individually designated and those located in Heritage Conservation Districts, are required to submit an application for a heritage permit prior to making changes to their property. The purpose of the heritage permit process is to ensure any changes are compatible with the heritage character of the property or district.

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