The National Trust for Canada recognized outstanding contributions to heritage conservation at its annual conference last week in Hamilton, Ontario. The awards included the National Leadership Awards and the Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Awards for Building Heritage and Sites.

The Prince of Wales Prize, awarded annually to a government of a municipality that has demonstrated a strong and sustained commitment to the conservation of its historic places, was presented to the City of Richmond, British Columbia, for its long history of celebrating and protecting its heritage assets, and its approach to heritage conservation, which the jury called “holistic” and “forward-looking.”

The Lieutenant Governor’s Award was awarded to Harry Barrett of Oakville, Ontario, for heritage conservation at the provincial level. Barrett has fervently worked to preserve and promote the heritage of Ontario, in particular Oakville’s cultural, natural and built heritage over the past 60 years.

Also, Thomas H.B. Symons of Peterborough, Ontario, received the Gabrielle Léger Medal for Lifetime Achievement. His 60 years of service crosses many disciplines, including education, human rights, social justice, language rights and international affairs.

The Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Awards for Building Heritage and Sites were also handed out to five projects. These awards bring national attention to projects that have successfully and creatively renewed and adapted historic places in ways that enhance community, local identity and sense of place.

The 2016 winners are, The McInnes Cooper Building (former Dawson Hardware Building), in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, La gare historique de la MRC d’Argenteuil, in Lachute, Québec, La Maison de la littérature, in Québec City, Québec, The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Building, St. Catharines, Ontario, and The Post Office Rehabilitation in Thorold, Ontario.

Photo: Richmond, B.C.