Heritage Definitions

Heritage designation is a method of conserving property. The British Columbia Local Government Act gives Municipal Council the power to designate land and/or buildings with the objective of retaining a heritage legacy for appreciation by present and future generations. The Heritage Steering Committee of the Municipality of Oak Bay was established to advise Council on all matters relating to heritage conservation.

Designate Building

A building is formally designated as a municipal heritage site by bylaw adopted under heritage provisions of the Local Government Act. Properties are evaluated according to a list of criteria for assessing heritage merit.

Community Heritage Register

The Community Heritage Register is a list of buildings or sites deemed significant heritage merit, adopted by resolution of the Municipal Council. To include a property on the Heritage Register is voluntary however it does not give it heritage protection, and it is not the same as "designation".  Although if the Municipal Council deems the site as significant it can trigger a protection process.  Buildings that are on the Register are incorporated into the Heritage Building Inventory. (A copy of the register is available for viewing at Oak Bay municipal hall.

Heritage Building Inventory

This list includes all buildings pictured and described in the 1986 municipal publication Oak Bay’s Heritage Buildings: More Than Just Bricks and Boards (updated in1994). The inventory is broader in scope than the Registry and includes both Registry and Designated buildings. There are some 300 significantly valuable Oak Bay properties listed. Copies are available for viewing only, in the Oak Bay Municipal Archives, lower level of Municipal Hall or at the Oak Bay library.