City showcasing historic municipal resources
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on August 5, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com The City of Lethbridge announced Friday it will be showcasing the city’s Municipal Historic Resources by a series of posts on social media every second Friday.In a release, the City explains that despite Lethbridge’s overall youthfulness as a community, it has an array of historic places, and those protected by the City are called Municipal Historic Resources.
Lethbridge was incorporated as a town in 1890 and as a city in 1906, which for a municipality is relatively young by comparison to many areas of the world.
Through preservation efforts, Lethbridge currently has 29 Municipal Historic Resources, with 13 of them located in downtown.
 Ahead of Heritage Day on Monday, the city began to feature a series of posts on their social media accounts to showcase the Municipal Historic Resources, with downtown locations being showcased by a short video featuring city councillor and President of the Lethbridge Historical Society, Belinda Crowson sharing fun facts at each location.
 Crowson said in the release that the history of any community is largely centred around its people and places, and therefore, having the Municipal Historic Resources program is of vital importance.
 “Sadly, we have lost many great buildings due to a variety of reasons throughout the years. We owe it to our current generation as well as future generations to preserve these buildings as they are important pieces of our history,” said Crowson.
Two of downtown’s Municipal Historic Resources, the Manie Opera Society and Bow On Tong buildings, were heavily damaged by a fire earlier this year. The Bow On Tong has already been demolished and the Manie Opera Society is also scheduled to be demolished.
 In the release the City explains that the Provincial Historical Resources Act empowers Alberta’s municipalities to protect and conserve historically significant places. Municipal Historic Resource designation protects these significant places, ensuring that they are not altered haphazardly or destroyed.
 Once designated, a Municipal Historic Resource remains the property of the registered owner. Designation does not alter how a property can be used.
 Law prohibits physically altering or demolishing a Historic Resource without the municipality’s written permission.
 The designation is registered against the title for the property, ensuring that future owners and interest holders understand that the place is designated.
 The City says residents who are owners of designated Municipal Historic Resources may apply to the province for annual matching grants of up to $50,000 to assist with the conservation of their property.
 Property owners can apply to the City to have their property identified and protected as a Municipal Historic Resource.
 Senior Community Planner Ross Kilgour said in the release the City is certainly looking to the public and those who may be interested in pursuing historic designation to please reach out to them.
 “We are aware of many more buildings in our community that could fit into this program, so we are hoping this new showcase series on social media will gather some interest,” said Kilgour.
 In addition to the Municipal Historic Resources, Lethbridge has 16 Provincial Historic Resources  with several sites having both Municipal and Provincial designation. The city is also home to four Federally-listed National Historic Events and one National Historic Person.
 The City of Lethbridge’s Heritage Management Plan (HMP) sets the overall approach and strategic goals for the City’s Heritage work. The HMP was updated in 2023 to better represent, celebrate and protect Indigenous heritage in our community and region, as well as other under-represented perspectives including those of women, visible minorities and other equity-seeking groups. Follow @APulidoHerald on Twitter 4
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