Lakeshore Council approves demolition of former Stoney Pointe church

Lakeshore council has approved the demolition of the church at 7119 Tecumseh Rd. in Stoney Pointe.

The former Church of the Annunciation was designated on the Heritage Registry in 2007. The Catholic church was built in 1906.

The owners of the property requested Lakeshore council to approve the demolition due to its structural condition and health and safety concerns.

In April of 2020, owners had put forward an application for demolition however that application was denied by council in June 2020, as they said the notice did not provide enough information regarding the reasons for demolition.

In the report, the owners also asked Lakeshore Administration to aid in the removal and relocation of heritage attributes of the building, such as windows, the bell, painted bible verses and more, to a storage location.

Council did not approve that section of the report, and decided it was up the owners to remove, relocate, or store items as they choose prior to the demolition.

They include the round arched transom window over the entrance, any other viable windows, the belfry and bell, the best-preserved brick and stone masonry, the date stone, tin ceiling tiles, Corinthian columns, and many other items.

Administration will not aid in the removal, or relocation of any of the items.

“The Community Planning Division concurs with the Heritage Advisory Committee to approve the demolition request of the heritage designated building in that both the Building and By-law Divisions have health and safety concerns if the building remains as is,” development approvals team leader Kristina Brcic wrote in the report to Lakeshore council.

“Further, it is imperative that any salvageable heritage attributes be removed properly and promptly at the cost of the applicant/owner to avoid any further damages.”