Item - 2026.PB46.1

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 18 Great Oak Drive under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 18 Great Oak Drive (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1 to the report (June 15, 2026) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 18 Great Oak Drive under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act ("the Act") for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance which includes a description of heritage attributes found in Attachment 1.

The subject property at 18 Great Oak Drive, known historically as the Moore Farmhouse, is located on the north side of Great Oak Drive, west of Islington Avenue and south of Rathburn Road, within the Islington Heights neighbourhood of Etobicoke.

A location map and current photograph of the heritage property are included in Attachment 2.

The property contains a detached one-and-a-half storey brick farmhouse constructed between 1842 and 1851, with a later rear addition. The property was originally part of Lot 11, Concession A (Clergy Block), and was historically associated with the Moore family, early agricultural settlers in Etobicoke Township. The subject property is associated with the architect William Tyrrell, a significant figure in Etobicoke and Weston who designed numerous institutional, industrial and residential buildings, including St. George’s Anglican Church-on-the-Hill, of which the Moore family were founding members. As a surviving farmhouse from the mid-19th century, the subject property contributes to the understanding of the evolution of Etobicoke from a rural landscape to a planned suburban community and remains a distinct and highly visible connection, within a neighbourhood characterized by post-war and contemporary residential development, to its agricultural past.

The subject property at 18 Great Oak Drive was listed on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register on September 27, 2006.

This property is one of eighteen pre-1870 listed properties citywide that have been identified as candidates for designation through the City's implementation of Bill 23 amendments to the Act and its ongoing prioritization strategy for listed properties that must be designated or removed from the Heritage Register by January 1, 2027.

Part of the strategy for the review of listed properties on the Heritage Register includes the procurement of qualified heritage consultants to research, evaluate, and prepare heritage evaluation reports for a subset of listed properties prioritized for designation. City Planning retained the services of Alex Corey Heritage Consulting ("the Consultant") to research and evaluate a citywide group of eighteen pre-1870 listed properties which includes the subject property at 18 Great Oak Drive. The Consultant evaluated the subject property and determined that it meets the provincial criteria.

The Consultant's research on the subject property is included in Attachment 3 of this report. The research, analysis, and evaluation contained within Attachment 3 reflect the Consultant's professional expertise and opinion. Staff have independently reviewed the Consultant's research and heritage evaluation and concur with the determination that the property at 18 Great Oak Drive has cultural heritage value and meets four of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria.

Designation enables City Council to review proposed alterations or demolitions to the property and enforce heritage property standards and maintenance.