Heritage Law and Symbolic Politics in Canada: Image Supersedes Protection under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act

This study reveals that Canada's Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act functions more as symbolic legislation than effective preservation policy. Despite its intent to protect railway stations, the Act lacks strong regulatory teeth and instead creates an illusion of government action and public engagement. The research highlights how emotional appeals, legal complexities, and imbalanced political power between heritage advocates and railway companies undermine real-world protection efforts. By challenging the dominance of discourse analysis in critical heritage studies, this work emphasizes the need to assess heritage law's practical impacts alongside its symbolic dimensions. A case study approach was employed, drawing on insights from Old Town Lunenburg World Heritage Site, where Senior Planner Hilary Grant's expertise was leveraged. The findings underscore the gap between heritage recognition and tangible conservation outcomes.

Grant, H. (2023). Heritage Law and Symbolic Politics in Canada: Image Supersedes Protection under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act. Heritage & Society, 18(1), 20–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159032x.2023.2266802