A 145-year-old home at 28-30 Cecil Street near Kensington Market faces imminent demolition after being purchased earlier this year by Hydro One, cbc.ca reported. The 1881 structure, which has spent 50 years on the city’s heritage register, sits directly adjacent to a transformer station slated for expansion to handle rising electricity demands.
While the utility company stated that updated equipment is necessary to maintain reliability for growing power needs, the move threatens roughly 20 tenants with eviction and challenges municipal protections for historical buildings across Toronto.
Transformer Station Expansion Forces Demolition Plans
Hydro One acquired the Cecil Street property to accommodate an expansion of the adjacent transformer station, which has operated for nearly 50 years. According to a statement issued to cbc.ca, the utility noted that the facility requires additional capacity and updated equipment. Although Hydro One declined to comment directly on its specific plans for the house, a utility staff member confirmed in a Sept. 28 letter to area MPP Jessica Bell that Hydro One is unable to retain the existing building for its station plans.
Both 28 and 30 Cecil Street are owned by JBR Investments Inc. and divided into multiple residential units.
Tenant Evictions and Community Pushback
The impending demolition has triggered anxiety among the roughly 20 tenants residing in the building’s rented rooms and small apartments. Tenants received a letter from the property owner dated Aug. 17, giving them until Nov. 30 to vacate the premises. Guiseppe Awada, a tenant who has lived in the house for six months, told cbc.ca that he felt saddened and shocked
by the notice and now faces finding a new home in a difficult rental market. Local advocates, including George Traini of the Baldwin Village Community Association, argue that losing the building strips character from the neighbourhood, suggesting that preserving at least the facade would be a better outcome.
Heritage Register Deadlines Threaten Protected Sites
Under standard municipal rules, properties on Toronto’s heritage register receive preliminary protection requiring city council approval before any demolition can occur. However, the province’s 2022 More Homes Built Faster Act established a hard deadline of Jan. 1, 2027, requiring municipalities to elevate listed properties to full heritage designation or see them automatically removed from the register and left unprotected from development. Adam Wynne, chair of the Toronto and East York Community Preservation Panel, told cbc.ca that Toronto holds at least 3,900 listed sites but only possesses the administrative capacity to process 100 to 120 properties before Jan. 1 because each designation requires months of research and a dedicated city council bylaw.
Province refuses to extend municipal deadline
Despite calls from preservation advocates to extend the 2027 deadline to accommodate the city’s backlog, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing stated in an email to cbc.ca last week that the timeline remains unchanged. The ministry noted that the province already granted a two-year extension in the summer of 2024, shifting the original deadline from Jan. 1, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2027, to give municipalities adequate time to assess properties under the Ontario Heritage Act. Meanwhile, MPP Jessica Bell acknowledged the necessity of electrical infrastructure for electric vehicles and new condominiums, but emphasized that displaced tenants face massive economic shocks in a hostile rental market and urged the utility to provide tenant compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cecil Street Demolition
When do tenants have to leave the Cecil Street property?
Tenants received notice from building owner JBR Investments Inc. on Aug. 17 instructing them to vacate their units by Nov. 30.
How long has the building been on the city’s heritage register?
The 145-year-old structure located at 28-30 Cecil Street has been listed on Toronto’s heritage register for 50 years.
What is the provincial deadline for heritage designations?
Under the More Homes Built Faster Act, municipalities must upgrade listed heritage properties to full designation by Jan. 1, 2027, or lose their registered status.
How many listed heritage properties are at risk in Toronto?
According to the Toronto and East York Community Preservation Panel, the city has at least 3,900 listed properties that could lose their heritage status if the 2027 deadline is not met.
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