Glossary

Alberta Historical Resources Foundation (AHRF): Created in 1973, the foundation assists in the preservation and interpretation of Alberta's historical resources, primarily through the encouragement and sponsorship of community heritage initiatives.  It is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of private citizens drawn from all regions of the province.  The foundation acts as the single window for Alberta Lottery Fund support to heritage in Alberta.

Alberta Register of Historic Places (ARHP): The list of historic places of municipal, regional, and provincial significance within Alberta.

Associated Architect: The architect(s) or the architectural firm, which developed the original design of the historic place or was involved in the design of later additions or alterations that contributed to the heritage value of the historic place.

Associated Builder: Person(s) or firm that constructed the historic place or were involved in later additions or alterations that contribute to the heritage value of the historic place.

Associated Event: Historically significant point in time that is directly associated with the historic place and has contributed to its heritage value.

Associated Organization: A historically significant organization that is directly associated with the historic place and has contributed to its heritage value.

Associated Person: A historically significant person who is directly associated with the historic place and has contributed to its heritage value.

Conservation: all actions or processes that are aimed at safeguarding the character-defining elements of a cultural resource so as to retain its heritage value and extend its physical life. This may involve “Preservation,” “Rehabilitation,” “Restoration,” or a combination of these actions or processes.

Canadian Register of Historic Places: The pan-Canadian list of historic places of local, provincial, territorial and national significance. The Canadian Register of Historic Places is administered by the Government of Canada, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments.

Canadian Registrar: The Canadian Registrar is responsible for managing and maintaining the Canadian Register of Historic Places

Cartographic Identifiers: The specific location of the historic place that allows a historic place to be visually represented on a map of Canada.

Character-Defining Elements: The materials, forms, location, spatial configurations, uses and cultural associations or meanings that contribute to the heritage value of a historic place, which must be retained in order to preserve its heritage value.

Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund (CHPIF): The Government of Canada’s financial incentives to engage a broad range of taxable Canadian corporations in preserving Canada's heritage properties, to the benefit of Canadians and communities throughout Canada.

Community: The administrative unit within which the historic place is located, for example a city, town or village.

Conditional Listing: Historic places that have been formally recognized before January 1, 2004 may be nominated to the Canadian Register of Historic Places with minimum documentation and may be conditionally listed for a maximum period of 5 years (from January 1, 2004), after which the mandatory documentation must be provided. Historic places formally recognized after January 1, 2004 will not be eligible for the conditional listing.

Construction Date: The approximate date of construction of the historic place.

Cross-Reference to a Collection: The location where collections of objects removed from the historic place are held.

De-listing: A listed historic place may be de-listed from the Canadian Register if it no longer meets the eligibility criteria for listing. For more information, please contact the appropriate Federal, Provincial, or Territorial Registrar.

Description of Boundaries: Description of the physical limits of the historic place as defined by the formal recognition.

Description of Historic Place: Briefly describes the historic place and identifies to what the designation or formal recognition applies.

District: Identifies the geographical or political sub-division within which the historic place is located. This includes: County; Communauté urbaine; District; Census Division; District Municipality; Municipalité régionale de comté; Regional District; Region; Regional Municipality; or United Counties.

Documentation Standards: Required information for each nomination of a historic place to the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Economic Region: The economic region within which the historic place is located. ‘Economic region’ is a standard geographical unit created for the analysis of regional economic activity.

Earthworks: In military architecture, a defensive structure constructed of earth.

Federal, Provincial or Territorial Identifier: An alphanumeric reference code assigned to a historic place by a federal, provincial, or territorial jurisdiction.

Federal/Provincial/Territorial Registrars: The Federal, Provincial or Territorial Registrar under whose mandate the historic place falls, and who is responsible for nominating the historic place to the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Formal Recognition Authority: The name of the local, provincial, territorial or federal authority that recognized the historic place.

Formal Recognition Date: The date on which the formal recognition of the historic place was approved or took effect.

Formal Recognition Statute: The legislation, policy or by-law under which the historic place is formally recognized.

Formal Recognition Type: The type of formal recognition as defined in the legislation, policy or by-law that applies to the historic place.

Formal Recognition: Means designated or otherwise recognized by or under federal, provincial or territorial law or a municipal by-law or ordinance.

Function - Category (Original): The broad category that applies to the original function of the historic place.

Function - Type (Original): The original function of the historic place.

Guidelines: Statements that provide practical guidance in applying the Standards for the conservation of historic places.

Heritage Value: (valeur patrimoniale) The aesthetic, historic, scientific, cultural, social or spiritual importance or significance for past, present or future generations. The heritage value of a historic place is embodied in its character-defining materials, forms, location, spatial configurations, uses and cultural associations or meanings.

Historic Place Record: The electronic record containing information relating to a historic place listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Historic Place: An historic place is a structure, building, group of buildings, district, landscape, archeological site or other place in Canada that has been formally recognized for its heritage value by an appropriate authority within a jurisdiction.

Historic Places Initiative (HPI): The Historic Places Initiative is a pan-Canadian collaboration between federal, provincial and territorial governments. It will encourage people and communities across the country to get more involved in helping conserve historic places. It will introduce tools that were previously unavailable (Canadian Register of Historic Places, Standards and Guidelines and certification process) in order to assist Canadians with heritage conservation projects.

In-kind: a) (à l’identique) with the same form, material and detailing as the existing element. b) non-monetary funding contributions deemed to be of value in matching provincial/municipal cost sharing opportunities.

Intervention: (intervention) Any action, other than demolition or destruction, that results in a physical change to an element of a historic place.

Image(s): Visual information about the historic place or a visual representation of the place’s name in an Aboriginal language.

Jurisdiction: The federal, provincial, or territorial jurisdiction under whose mandate the historic place falls. 

Listing: To be officially listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places, all eligible historic places will have to meet the minimum and mandatory documentation requirements. Official listing on the Canadian Register of Historic Places is also a requirement for the Government of Canada’s financial incentives.

Locality: The district or neighbourhood, within a city or town, within which a historic place is located.

Location of Supporting Documentation: The institution and office holding the supporting documents related to the formal recognition of the historic place.

Location: Information that assists in locating a historic place on a street map or a map of Canada.

Minimal Intervention: (intervention minimale) The approach which allows functional goals to be met with the least physical intervention.

Municipal Heritage Partnership Program (MHPP): The Municipal Heritage Partnership Program is designed to help municipalities manage their historic places. Support from the MHPP, for identification and protection of local historic places, consists primarily of cost-shared funding, guidance and capacity building tools. The province is committed to helping municipalities become stewards of their own unique heritage and the guiding force for the protection of what each community determines to be historically important.

Name of Historic Place: A single, common name in current usage that serves as an identifier for a historic place

Other Name: An alternate name by which a historic place is known, or has been known.

Preservation: The action or process of protecting, maintaining, and/or stabilizing the existing materials, form, and integrity of a historic place, or an individual component, while protecting its heritage value.

Province/Territory: Identifies the province or territory where a historic place is located.

Rehabilitation: (réhabilitation) The action or process of making possible a continuing or compatible contemporary use for a historic place, or of an individual component, through repair, alterations and/or additions, while protecting its heritage value.

Restoration: (restauration) The action or process of accurately revealing, recovering or representing the state of a historic place, or of an individual component, as it appeared at a particular period in its history, while protecting its heritage value.

Related Listing(s): Some historic places are recognized by more than one authority and/or more than one jurisdiction. Related listing(s) identifies the other listing or listings within the Canadian Register of Historic Places associated with a historic place.

Removal of Listings: The owner of a listed historic place may submit a request to the Canadian Registrar to have their historic place removed from the Canadian Register. If this occurs, a review will be undertaken by the relevant Federal, Provincial or Territorial Registrar and the Canadian Registrar will temporarily suppress the listing from the public web site. If the concerns of the owner cannot be resolved, the Canadian Registrar will officially remove the historic place record from the Canadian Register.

Standards: (normes) Norms for the respectful conservation of historic places.

Significant Date: Date other than the construction date, associated with the heritage value of the historic place.

Statement of Significance (SoS): A statement that identifies the description, heritage value, and character-defining elements of a historic place. A Statement of Significance is required in order for a historic place to be listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Status: Indicates the current status of a historic place on the Canadian Register of Historic Places, i.e. Iisted, conditionally listed, or de-listed.

Street and Street Number: The street and street number of the historic place.

Sub-district: Identifies the geographical or political sub-division within which the historic place is located. This includes:

Theme - Category: Identifies broad thematic category related to the heritage value of the historic place.

Theme - Type: Identifies the specific theme type that best applies to a historic place.

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