This post is the twenty-third in a series in which we reached out to municipal candidates to ask their heritage platform. Responses will be posted in the order received.
Jason Mayti was the twenty-third candidate to respond. He is running as the incumbant for the Ward 3 Seat in the Town of Essex – the catchment area of which includes the Harrow urban area and Colchester.
How should Essex address demolition by neglect? Do you see this as a municipal responsibility?
Yes, I see it as a municipal responsibility, and the Ontario Heritage Act gives the Town the tools to act on it. My working career has been in preventative maintenance, and the same rule applies to old buildings as to equipment: small repairs done on time cost far less than major ones done too late. Once a heritage building is left to deteriorate long enough, demolition becomes the only practical option.
I’d like to see Essex set clear maintenance standards for designated heritage properties and enforce them early, before a building reaches that point. Owners of older buildings often face real costs, so enforcement should come with support, including grants, information on available funding, and staff who can help owners understand what’s required.
What role should council play in strengthening heritage conservation overall?
Our heritage planner has done a lot of work clearing the Heritage Register ahead of the January 1, 2027 deadline. That gives the next council a solid, current starting point, and the council’s job is to build on it rather than let it sit.
That means working closely with the Essex Municipal Heritage Committee and acting on its recommendations, following through on designations for the properties that matter most, and keeping the register current going forward. I’d also support a steady, predictable heritage grant program, and I want heritage considered early in development decisions rather than as an afterthought. Plaques, walking tours, and partnerships with local groups help residents know the history around them, and that public support makes conservation easier.
What is your favourite heritage landmark in Essex?
The Colchester Schoolhouse on Bagot Street, known locally as “the little red school.” It was built in 1881, the first in the area built under the Public Schools Act, and it replaced an earlier log schoolhouse lost to erosion along Lake Erie. It served as a school until the 1960s.
What I like most is how it was saved. In 2020 the Town was looking at selling the property to a developer. Residents came together, formed Heritage Colchester, and worked to keep it in public hands and restore it for community use. Council then designated it under the Heritage Act. Residents, the Heritage Committee, and council each played a part, and that’s the approach I’d like to see for heritage properties across Essex.
To follow the candidate’s campaign, visit his Facebook Group.
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