About

Foundations is a City of Waterloo publication that highlights stories about Waterloo’s historic landmarks, neighbourhoods and the people that inhabit them. It is brought to you by Heritage staff in the Integrated Planning & Public Works department, with occasional guest authors. 

We are always looking for interesting research to share, stories to tell and topics to explore. If you have a suggestion for a post, contact us at heritage@waterloo.ca.

An Introduction – June 1, 2026

Welcome! It’s been a while since this blog was last updated in 2018. While I’m aiming to get back to posting about all the interesting heritage in Waterloo, I thought it would be helpful to introduce myself.

So who I am? I’m Susan Schappert, Hon. B.A., CAHP, RPP, MCIP (I think that’s all the letters I have in my alphabet soup). I’ve been working in Heritage Planning for over 20 years, most recently with the Town of Oakville where I was for over 16 years. Prior to that, I worked for the Ontario Heritage Trust and before that, the City of Peterborough. I also did some consulting work in my past life so my name may crop up in random places from time to time.

I fell into Heritage Planning as a career in my mid-20s, having no idea the profession even existed when I was in school. I studied what I loved – majored in History, minored in Studio Arts at the University of Guelph and then did a post-graduate certificate in Museum Management and Curatorship at Fleming College. The certificate required a four-month internship, so I found a placement with the newly opened Heritage Preservation Office at the City of Peterborough. This is where I learned that buildings were a type of historic resource that didn’t fit into a museum collection but were worthy of retaining to keep our communities vibrant and unique. That was in 2004 and I’ve been a proud heritage geek since then. I’ve done some additional work to become a Registered Professional Planner and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, as well as the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals.

I started with City of Waterloo in April 2026 and have arrived with a renewed enthusiasm for my work in heritage conservation. Working under the same provincial legislation means there are many similarities from municipality to municipality, but the local context always has unique challenges that are specific to the community. I’m looking forward to learning about Waterloo and the special buildings and places that make this community so vibrant and attractive.

If you have a question about heritage designation, grant programs, provincial legislation or cultural heritage landscapes (or anything else related to Heritage Planning), feel free to email me at susan.schappert@waterloo.ca. I’m slowly getting up to speed on all things to do with local Waterloo history, but there’s a lot to learn!