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Reformatory district

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Project Overview

The City of Guelph is developing a Heritage Conservation District (HCD) Plan and guidelines for the Ontario Reformatory HCD.

The Ontario Reformatory opened in 1911 and served as a correctional facility for the first half of the 20th century. From 1970 through to its decommissioning in 2001, parts of the Reformatory site were repurposed and operated as the provincially run Guelph Correctional Centre. In 2016, Infrastructure Ontario indicated its intention to sell the property and completed the required environmental remediation at that time. The lands are now used by the public for passive recreation and environmental education.

The Ontario Reformatory lands, also known as the Guelph Correctional Centre, are at 785 York Road in Guelph’s east end, south of York Road and west of Watson Parkway South.

The OR HCD project has two phases; both include a mix of technical and engagement tasks.

Phase 1: Heritage Conservation District Study

The OR HCD study assessed the historical, design, and contextual value of the study area; identified contributing and non-contributing properties and resources; reviewed the existing policy framework in the area, and defined boundaries for the cultural heritage landscape. Phase 1 also included community engagement to help the project team further understand the community’s experience of the area and to inform the proposed HCD boundaries.

Phase 2: Heritage Conservation District Plan

Based on the outcomes of Phase 1 and the Council’s approval, we are building on the recommendations of the study. The OR HCD plan will provide guidelines for managing change in ways that highlight the distinctive character of the area.

Update

Phase 1 - On March 21, 2023, City Council approved the recommendations from the OR HCD Study and the proposed OR HCD boundary and directed that the project move to Phase 2 to prepare an HCD Plan and Guidelines for the lands within the Ontario Reformatory HCD boundary in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act.

Phase 2 – WSP (the consultants) have produced a draft HCD Plan and Guidelines document that, if approved, would be used to implement a potential heritage conservation district designation by-law. The OR HCD Plan document includes policies and guidelines to manage change and conserve the distinct heritage character of the Ontario Reformatory HCD.

The Plan provides policy direction, strategies, design guidelines, and conservation standards that support and enhance the cultural heritage value or interest and unique character of the Ontario Reformatory HCD. The OR HCD Plan will:

  • Confirm the HCD boundary as identified in the OR HCD Study;
  • Describe the OR HCD’s cultural heritage value and interest including the statement of objectives for the HCD Plan; and
  • Provide guidelines founded on the statement of objectives and the recommendations of the Study that will provide a consistent approach to managing change, alterations, and maintenance of the built heritage attributes and landscape heritage attributes that comprise the OR HCD.

How to Participate

The draft Ontario Reformatory HCD plan and guidelines was released to the public on November 1, 2024 within the agenda of the City Council Planning meeting held November 13. This meeting serves as the statutory public meeting for the project under the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Council report and recording are available on the City's council meeting agenda pages on Guelph.ca. Please note the OR HCD report starts at 3:58:50. This meeting did not conclude and required a continuance to complete the required steps to move forward with the final phase of engagement.

The continuance meeting was held November 26 at 2PM. The minutes of this meeting are available on the City’s agenda pages on Guelph.ca.

A public open house to review and discuss the released draft Ontario Reformatory HCD Plan and Guidelines will be scheduled for early in 2025. Check back to this page for details.

Project Overview

The City of Guelph is developing a Heritage Conservation District (HCD) Plan and guidelines for the Ontario Reformatory HCD.

The Ontario Reformatory opened in 1911 and served as a correctional facility for the first half of the 20th century. From 1970 through to its decommissioning in 2001, parts of the Reformatory site were repurposed and operated as the provincially run Guelph Correctional Centre. In 2016, Infrastructure Ontario indicated its intention to sell the property and completed the required environmental remediation at that time. The lands are now used by the public for passive recreation and environmental education.

The Ontario Reformatory lands, also known as the Guelph Correctional Centre, are at 785 York Road in Guelph’s east end, south of York Road and west of Watson Parkway South.

The OR HCD project has two phases; both include a mix of technical and engagement tasks.

Phase 1: Heritage Conservation District Study

The OR HCD study assessed the historical, design, and contextual value of the study area; identified contributing and non-contributing properties and resources; reviewed the existing policy framework in the area, and defined boundaries for the cultural heritage landscape. Phase 1 also included community engagement to help the project team further understand the community’s experience of the area and to inform the proposed HCD boundaries.

Phase 2: Heritage Conservation District Plan

Based on the outcomes of Phase 1 and the Council’s approval, we are building on the recommendations of the study. The OR HCD plan will provide guidelines for managing change in ways that highlight the distinctive character of the area.

Update

Phase 1 - On March 21, 2023, City Council approved the recommendations from the OR HCD Study and the proposed OR HCD boundary and directed that the project move to Phase 2 to prepare an HCD Plan and Guidelines for the lands within the Ontario Reformatory HCD boundary in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act.

Phase 2 – WSP (the consultants) have produced a draft HCD Plan and Guidelines document that, if approved, would be used to implement a potential heritage conservation district designation by-law. The OR HCD Plan document includes policies and guidelines to manage change and conserve the distinct heritage character of the Ontario Reformatory HCD.

The Plan provides policy direction, strategies, design guidelines, and conservation standards that support and enhance the cultural heritage value or interest and unique character of the Ontario Reformatory HCD. The OR HCD Plan will:

  • Confirm the HCD boundary as identified in the OR HCD Study;
  • Describe the OR HCD’s cultural heritage value and interest including the statement of objectives for the HCD Plan; and
  • Provide guidelines founded on the statement of objectives and the recommendations of the Study that will provide a consistent approach to managing change, alterations, and maintenance of the built heritage attributes and landscape heritage attributes that comprise the OR HCD.

How to Participate

The draft Ontario Reformatory HCD plan and guidelines was released to the public on November 1, 2024 within the agenda of the City Council Planning meeting held November 13. This meeting serves as the statutory public meeting for the project under the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Council report and recording are available on the City's council meeting agenda pages on Guelph.ca. Please note the OR HCD report starts at 3:58:50. This meeting did not conclude and required a continuance to complete the required steps to move forward with the final phase of engagement.

The continuance meeting was held November 26 at 2PM. The minutes of this meeting are available on the City’s agenda pages on Guelph.ca.

A public open house to review and discuss the released draft Ontario Reformatory HCD Plan and Guidelines will be scheduled for early in 2025. Check back to this page for details.

Tell us about your connection to the Reformatory Lands

The history of the Reformatory Lands is complicated. From its beginnings as a space where imprisoned individuals could learn new skills to a place where a more traditional form of incarceration was practiced to its present where it supports recreation, education and access to nature, these lands are filled with stories. As part of this project, we want to gain a stronger understanding of the stories associated with the Reformatory Lands - both the good and the bad. If you have a connection to these lands, we invite you to share it here. Anonymous responses are welcome, and if you would like to share your story privately, please contact a member of the project team to share your story via email or set up a phone call where you can share your story with one of our staff members in confidence. These stories are integral to the historical significance of these lands, and will form a significant part of our HCD Study. 

Thank you for sharing your story with us. We look forward to including it in our Heritage Conservation District Study.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
  • Share Birdlife at the Reformatory on Facebook Share Birdlife at the Reformatory on Twitter Share Birdlife at the Reformatory on Linkedin Email Birdlife at the Reformatory link

    Birdlife at the Reformatory

    by Cameron Shelley, over 2 years ago
    I often enter the Reformatory lands paddling on the Eramosa river. One of the great attractions of that stretch of water is the prolific birdlife.

    For example, every year there is a great blue heron (or its descendants) who fish in the river in the vicinity of Clythe Creek. It often ignores me and carries on fishing but flies up the Creek if I happen to disturb it. The beaver pond up the creek is apparently its sanctuary.

    Other herons, blue and green, occupy the shoreline from there to upstream of the trestle bridge, along with kingfishers, ducks, geese, blackbirds... Continue reading

  • Share Could be a Fantastic Recreational Area on Facebook Share Could be a Fantastic Recreational Area on Twitter Share Could be a Fantastic Recreational Area on Linkedin Email Could be a Fantastic Recreational Area link

    Could be a Fantastic Recreational Area

    by ralphbillings, over 2 years ago
    Here are my thoughts on this Beautiful Historic Property:
    1. Excellent Walking Trails, some maintain by the Guelph Hiking Trail Club. We walk there 3 or 4 times per week, often start at Stone Road and follow the GHTC along the east side of the Eramosa River. This trail passes the historic stone Quarry (very interesting). We then circle the ponds and the east fields and return to Stone Rd
    2. Lack of Parking is an issue. We park on York Road, the Legion parking lot on Watson Road or Stone Road at the River
    3. The Ponds would be an excellent... Continue reading
  • Share Awesome wildlife on Facebook Share Awesome wildlife on Twitter Share Awesome wildlife on Linkedin Email Awesome wildlife link

    Awesome wildlife

    by Claudia1234, over 2 years ago
    I visit this place often, and I always find it so serene, the ponds, the wildlife, the birds, the mature trees, everything is so amazing!, it is a place within the city that makes you feel like you are 100 km away from all the buzz, it is a place where I go when I need to recharge, my son suffers from Anxiety and this place always calms him down, it works wonders on his mental health, just hearing all the birds and little critters that inhabit the place, it would be a tremendous lost not to have this kind... Continue reading
  • Share Daycare or outdoor school on Facebook Share Daycare or outdoor school on Twitter Share Daycare or outdoor school on Linkedin Email Daycare or outdoor school link

    Daycare or outdoor school

    by Norm1957, over 2 years ago

    As a teenager I enjoyed the fishing at the ponds walking around the trails exploring different areas I have a friend that owns a daycare and mention it would be a great spot for a nonprofit daycare or outdoor schoolThanks

  • Share An Amazing Place on Facebook Share An Amazing Place on Twitter Share An Amazing Place on Linkedin Email An Amazing Place link

    An Amazing Place

    by carolynjj, over 2 years ago

    I am an outdoor educator. I have brought groups of children to the reformatory lands and there is no place quite like it. The biodiversity there is rich and magnificent. Each time I walk through the place I marvel at the potential it has for becoming a community hub that honors the natural and cultural history of Guelph. We need vast green spaces to support biodiversity and leave a legacy of care for future generations. I would like to see the area preserved as a nature reserve and community hub, dedicated to maintaining biodiversity and promoting education.

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    andree_zeritsch@rogers.com

    by ANDREE N ZERITSCH, over 2 years ago
    The Reformatory Lands are so important to Guelph residents. The trails, the ponds, the wildlife, the flora. We need to preserve at a minimum 70 acres. Once it is gone... it is gone forever. As a new resident to this area, the Reformatory Lands were my introduction to this community. They have made a lasting impression. We need to keep a portion for the residents' enjoyment. We are so fortunate to have this space. Let's preserve it!
  • Share Old times and New times on Facebook Share Old times and New times on Twitter Share Old times and New times on Linkedin Email Old times and New times link

    Old times and New times

    by Nina Szpakowski, over 2 years ago
    When l was a student attending the university in the late seventies l often passed the reformatory lands and marvelled at the immaculate nature in which the grounds were kept and how hard the inmates worked to trim all the grass, correct a slipped rock that had fallen out of place or pick up any debris. They created a very beautiful green space that was happily used by many Guelph residents for their wedding photos! That was how l was introduced to the culture, that was Guelph, at that time.

    Since then l have graduated, moved away from Guelph and... Continue reading

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    b.weaver@rogers.com

    by bweaver, over 2 years ago
    These lands have been walked by my family and I since my children were youngsters. We enjoy the birds and other wildlife. As indigenous people we woudl really like to see this be a place where medcinal plants can be harvested, openly and the stories of this land shared with new comers to our lands
  • Share A community nature hub for humans and animals on Facebook Share A community nature hub for humans and animals on Twitter Share A community nature hub for humans and animals on Linkedin Email A community nature hub for humans and animals link

    A community nature hub for humans and animals

    by Rhubarb, over 2 years ago
    There is no other place in Guelph like this. The number of migrating bird species, birdwatchers, the dog walkers, photographers, nature appreciators, the fisher folk spending time alongside --and on top of, the pond -- (ice fishing in the heart of a city is essentially unheard of!!) The options for walking//terrain-- paved surfaces for those folks - elders and young ones, that may have a hard time with hilly or rougher terrain; more narrow forested and grassy trails that pass alongside the river. The tracks to be seen from: birds, dogs, snakes, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, goslings, bikes, x-country skis, and... Continue reading
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    Amazing Place to walk

    by melapens, over 2 years ago
    The reformatory lands are a beautiful piece of the community. I love to go walking there, to collect my thoughts and to watch the birds. Walking here was where I announced my pregnancy to my mother, and today I enjoy taking my daughter out to wander the paths and connect with nature. We are blessed to have such a lovely spot in our community - and I would have to see such a wonderful spot be developed. I would like to be able to learn more about the reformatory and the stories of the people who lived and worked there.
Page last updated: 28 Nov 2024, 09:54 AM