HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-26-25 - No. 17 ar
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The City of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Resolution
August 26, 2025
No. 17
Moved by: Councillor Lococo
Seconded by: Councillor Patel
Re: Supporting Resolution from the City of Kingston — Heritage Insurance Rates
At the Corporation of the City of Niagara Falls Council meeting held on August 26,
2025, the Niagara Falls City Council passed a resolution to receive and support the
resolution sent from the City of Kingston regarding Heritage Property Insurance Rates.
THAT Council RECEIVE and SUPPORT the resolution put forth by the City of Kingston
at their City Council meeting of August 12, 2025, with respect to Heritage Property
Insurance Rates.
AND The Seal of the Corporation be hereto affixed. Carried Unanimously
WILLIAM G. MATSON, CITY CLERK JAMES M. DIODATI, MAYOR
at
Office of the City Clerk
August 14, 2025
Via email
All Ontario Municipalities
Re: Kingston City Council Meeting, August 12, 2025 — Resolution Number
2025-269 — Heritage Property Insurance Rates
At the regular Council meeting on August 12, 2025, Council approved Resolution
Number 2025-269 with respect to Heritage Property Insurance Rates, as follows:
Whereas heritage is a fundamentalpart of individual and communityidentity, and
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is a major driver of Kingston's tourism economy; and
Whereas the Ontario Heritage Act encourages municipalities in Ontario to
designate and protect properties that meet provincial criteria related to design
value, associative value and contextual value; and
Whereas the Provincial Planning Statement states that protected heritage
property shall be conserved; and Whereas the City of Kingston's Official Plan
states that built heritage resources in Kingston shall be conserved; and
Whereas conserving heritage properties has direct benefits to property values,
tourism and the environment; and
Whereas homeowners require insurance to protect their homes, which is often
their most significant financial investment, and can be required to maintain a
mortgage; and
Whereas the cost of living and the cost of insurance is on the rise in Canada; and
Whereas the Province of Ontario has stated that a heritage designation does not
place additional requirements on insurers and that insurance premiums should not
go up because of a heritage designation; and
Whereas some homeowners have reported that their premiums have gone up as
a result of a heritage designation or they have been denied an insurance policy as
a result of a heritage designation; and
The Corporation of the City of Kingston
216 Ontario Street, Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3
Phone: (613) 546-4291 extension 1207 cityclerk@cityofkingston.ca
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Whereas as a result of insurance concerns, some impacted homeowners have
objected to a proposed heritage designation on their property or have applied to
have a designating by-law repealed; and
Whereas this directly threatens the unique and irreplaceable heritage character of
Kingston and Ontario;
Therefore Be It Resolved That Kingston City Council call on the Provincial
Government to:
• investigate why some insurers are raising premiums on heritage
designated properties or are denying insurance policies as a result of a
heritage designation in contravention of provincial guidance; and
• bring insurance regulators, insurance industry representatives and heritage
professionals together to find solutions that enable the continued protection
of heritage properties without unwarranted financial burden on
homeowners; and
• regulate the impact of heritage designation on insurance premiums through
enforcement, education and new solutions;
That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Honourable Doug Ford,
M.P.P. Premier of Ontario, the Honourable Graham McGregor, M.P.P. Minister
of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Ted Hsu, M.P.P. Kingston and the Islands
and John Jordan, M.P.P. Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, all Ontario
municipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Financial
Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, the Canadian Council of Insurance
Regulators, and the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Yours sincerely,
,c,4„14.A
Janet Jaynes
City Clerk
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