2023 OHC in London!

June 15-17, 2023

Welcome from the Local Organizing Committee for London, Ontario

We are so pleased to welcome you all to London, Ontario for the 2023 Ontario Heritage Conference. There will be so much to talk about this year, as new opportunities and challenges lie ahead that will require us to think in new ways about how we preserve. There is no better way to face it all than by learning about, and from, each other.

Our heritage communities are slowly rebuilding after years of drifting between virtual and in-person meetings. We have learned valuable lessons during this time about how to connect when it becomes difficult, and how to keep up with the work of protecting our heritage resources in shifting sands.

This conference will consider many perspectives on this work. Many of us are working hard to draw attention to voices that have not always been heard in our heritage discussions. We will look critically at the work that we have done in the past, while moving toward that which we will do in the future, with creative new approaches. We have worked hard this past year to design a program that will challenge and excite you. There is much to celebrate even as we brace for the hard work ahead.

Throughout this conference, you will have a chance to learn, to wander, to discuss and to consider these next steps. London is a city rich in heritage resources with many successes and many challenges, just like the place that you are from. We have spectacular heritage buildings throughout our City, as well as a rich mosaic of beautifully preserved Heritage Conservation Districts, a vibrant and vast network of museums, and a multitude of organizations working together to keep London on track as a distinct city that sees it’s roots clearly and holds on to the lessons of the past.

Heritage protection is good urbanism, and at this conference we will showcase examples of how our historic areas house living, vibrant and changing communities. We will take you to stunning adaptive reuse examples that will inspire you and lead you to consider how we can fold in all voices into this important work of understanding our past - no matter how challenging - and embracing our shared future.

Thank you for joining us in beautiful London, Ontario – there is a lot to see here, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Your Local Organizing Committee: Mike Bloxam; Dhira Ghosh (London Heritage Council); Dr. Jason Gilliland (Western University); Michael Greguol (Heritage Planner, City of London); Dr. Michelle Hamilton (Western University); Tara Jenkins (Cultural Heritage Lead, AECOM); Wes Kinghorn (ACO London Region Branch); Don Menard; Dorothy Palmer; Mike Rice (London Middlesex Historical Society); Maggie Whalley (ACO London Region Branch)