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Council wants all of Banting homestead protected

BY Janis Ramsay May 15, 2007 11:05

New Tecumseth council wants a bigger chunk of land to be protected at the Sir Frederick Banting Homestead.

Instead of designating only 70 acres of the property as heritage, council decided Monday night to expand their original proposal and protect the entire 100 acres of land.

Sir Frederick Banting was born in Alliston and was co-discoverer of insulin. Insulin helps thousands of people living with diabetes keep their blood/sugar levels stable, and Banting is considered to be an important part of Canada's history.

The 100-acre farmland where he grew up sits just north of Alliston.

Banting's nephew, Edward Knight Banting, owned the property and bequeathed it to the Ontario Historical Society when he died in 1990. The society is an arm of the provincial government.

For more than a year, New Tecumseth worked on a proposal to buy the land from the OHS for $1 million.

With a deal finally in the works in 2006, the province assigned facilitator Alan Wells to assist in negotiations. The town planned to sever the land and sell 30 acres to local developer Mattamy Homes for $1 million to cover the purchase price. The remaining 70 acres would have been designated as heritage property and turned over to the Sir Frederick Banting Legacy Foundation, which wants to create a camp for diabetic youth.

But last spring, the town learned the OHS had sold the property to Solmar Developments Inc. for more than $2 million. That builder planned to save just four acres of land - including the home and octagonal barn - and develop the remaining 96 acres.

Solmar built subdivisions in Tottenham and Beeton a decade ago. The company also owns about 220 acres of land in the west end of Alliston.

After learning of the sale, New Tecumseth announced its intent to designate 70 acres of land as heritage property. If successful, the designation means the property is protected from further development.

The Ontario Historical Society Foundation appealed New Tecumseth's decision to designate the property, as did Solmar.

The matter is now before the Conservation Review Board, a provincial panel that will make its recommendation on what should be done. The hearing is set for mid-September.

New Tecumseth Mayor Mike MacEachern said staff was asked in a closed meeting Monday to change the designation to 100 acres.

"The Conservation Review Board has been notified it's our intention to designate the entire homestead property," said MacEachern.

He said the owner understands the town's intent after a pre-hearing conference, and the next step is to amend the designation.

The property won't be designated before the September hearing. Regardless of what decision the Conservation Review Board makes, the town can still proceed with its plan to protect the property.

If the land is designated, MacEachern said it doesn't affect the ownership, but there would be maintenance standards applied to the site.

E-mail reporter Janis Ramsay

at jramsay@simcoe.com

Please see 'Homestead' on Pg. 3

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