London Heritage fight over demolished barn reignites after stone wall council ordered to be saved—is destroyed Share A Byron man who paid a fine for demolishing an historic barn without a permit told CTV News he now faces a $50,000 fine after being accused of removing a remnant foundation wall. It’s the latest dramatic turn in the four-and-a-half year heritage dispute between heritage officials, city council, and 83-year-old John McLeod. “Now they've, come up with another charge,” explains McLeod.
“The wall is missing. They’ve fined me $50,000.” In January 2020, McLeod knocked down the 130-year-old barn on his property two days after city council decided to designate it for heritage protection.
He eventually paid a $2,000 fine for violating the Ontario Heritage Act. By April 2023, city council approved a demolition permit so that McLeod could remove the pile of wood and debris from where the barn once stood. The permit came with conditions, including that the work had to be conducted by hand so that a stone and brick foundation wall would be preserved in situ until its remaining heritage value could be determined by provincial officials.
Specifically, the motion directed that, “The existing brick and rubble stone foundation shall be retained and be protected in situ until (after a) municipal council decision following receipt of the recommendation of the Conservation Review Board.” However, the foundation wall disappeared before that evaluation could take pl.