The ''Heritage Property Act'' (the Act) is a

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

which allows for the preservation of

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

properties,

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

s and palaeontological sites in the province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Cultural heritage properties

The Act offers two types of protection:

Provincial Heritage Properties

Provincial Heritage Properties are provincially significant places designated by the Minister of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport. As of March 2013, there are 50 such sites in Saskatchewan. Once designated, the property's heritage character-defining elements cannot be altered without the written consent from the Minister, and the site is also eligible for financial assistance from the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation towards its preservation or restoration.

Municipal Heritage Properties

Locally or regionally significant places can be designated by a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

or rural municipality. Designation legally protects the property and makes it eligible for financial assistance from the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation. There are over 750 Municipal Heritage Properties in the province. The Act also permits municipalities to designate Municipal Heritage Conservation Districts, larger areas whose heritage value lies in their overall area character rather than in individual properties.

Archaeological and palaeontological sites

The Act protects archaeological and palaeontological sites and objects in Saskatchewan. In particular, every archaeological or palaeontological object found in, or taken from, land in Saskatchewan is deemed to be the property of the Crown, and no person may disturb or dislocate such objects without a valid permit issued under the Act. Also protected are Sites of Special Interest, consisting of First Nations or

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

sites which the Act defines as properties containing any pictographs,

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s, human skeletal material, burial objects, burial places or mounds, boulder effigies or medicine wheels. No one may destroy, deface, excavate or alter such sites.

Other provisions

The Act also provides for: *the establishment of the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation, a provincial agency whose primary mandate is to provide financial support to heritage projects within the province; *the establishment of the Saskatchewan Geographic Names Program; *the issuance of temporary stop orders requiring a person to cease an activity for up to 60 days where that activity that is likely to result in damage or destruction to any heritage property; *the voluntary registration of heritage

easement An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...

s and covenants, pursuant to which a landowner agrees to terms and conditions with the province, a municipality or any other heritage organization approved by the Minister ensuring the protection of the heritage property; and *the imposition of penalties (including fines and imprisonment) for violations of the Act.

References

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External links

Heritage Property Act
Heritage Property Act Heritage Property Act

1980 in Saskatchewan 1980 in Canadian law Housing legislation in Canada