Federal Heritage Character Designation (Désignation patrimoniale fédérale)

Means the synthesis of a building's heritage values. The heritage value of Crown-owned buildings derives from many sources. These include historical associations, architectural significance and environmental importance. Government departments must arrange for the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office to evaluate all buildings 40 years of age or older, in order to determine if they should be designated as federal heritage buildings. A multidisciplinary and inter-departmental advisory committee evaluates the buildings against a set of established criteria. The FHBRO Evaluation Criteria are based on international conservation principles. Classified federal heritage building - means a federal building to which the Minister of Environment has assigned the highest heritage designation. Recognized federal heritage building - means a federal building to which the Minister of Environment has assigned the second highest heritage designation.