Protecting Vancouver's heritage

City Council recognizes the tremendous value in Vancouver's historically and culturally significant buildings, monuments, and other sites.

Because of this, Council oversees a comprehensive heritage management program to protect, restore, and rehabilitate as many sites as possible. 

The City's heritage management program  has three main components:

Heritage management plan

Under the Vancouver Charter, Council has the power to protect our valuable heritage sites from demolition or unsympathetic alterations.

They can also set up arrangements with property owners that encourage them to restore or rehabilitate their heritage properties.

Heritage register

The Vancouver Heritage Register is the cornerstone of the City's heritage program. It provides a complete inventory of sites in Vancouver that have historical, cultural, aesthetic, scientific, or educational worth.

Public education efforts

Initiatives such as the heritage plaque program and heritage awards help increase the visibility of the city's significant historical sites, and increases public awareness of our built heritage and history.