​​​​​​​BRAMPTON, ON – The City of Brampton has a new, ambitious, future-focused vision for culture in Brampton. At its meeting today, Committee of Council unanimously endorsed Brampton’s first Culture Master Plan. The Plan will go to Council for final approval on Wednesday, June 27.

The Culture Master Plan is a foundational document for municipal cultural planning and service delivery in Brampton. It will enable the City to take full advantage of the opportunities for quality of life and economic development that a robust arts and culture sector can bring, will provide the City with a clear direction regarding its arts and cultural resources, and will contribute to the eventual realization of the Brampton 2040 Vision.

Through an extensive public consultation process to engage community input, research into the local arts and culture environment, and best practices from around the country, the Culture Master Plan was developed under three themes: Supporting Success, Developing a Community of Practice, and Building Brampton’s Identity. Under these objectives, the Plan outlines six goals with 47 supporting strategies and actions:

Supporting Success
• Resources: Leverage private and public sources to sustainably finance municipal programs, assets and services in Brampton; ensuring that resources and policies are in place to properly implement the Culture Master Plan.

Developing a Community of Practice
• Funding: Strategically fund and build financial capacity with creators and cultural groups to drive innovation and collaboration and support a vibrant arts and culture scene in Brampton.
• Space: Increase Brampton’s inventory of physical and digital space for creative presentation, production, participation, collaboration and innovation. Ensure these spaces are inclusive, accessible and support the connectivity of Brampton’s cultural ecology.
• Talent Development: Establish Brampton as a viable place for creators to live, work and develop their talent. Connect the creative economy with the wider business community in Brampton to support capacity building and talent retention.

Building Brampton’s Identity
• Production and Presentation: Facilitate meaningful exchange between diverse creators, groups and audiences that enrich the community and embrace cultural fusion and experimentation. Leverage presentation and production as vehicles for social cohesion and as contributors to the creation of a unique and distinctive identity for Brampton.
• Promotion: Cultivate strong lines of communication within Brampton’s creative community, market Brampton’s cultural products, and develop a reputation as a youthful, cutting-edge cultural hot spot on the world stage.

Work on the Culture Master Plan will begin immediately, with implementation plans for subsequent strategies and actions to be presented in alignment with the City’s annual budget process. 

The City launched the development of the Culture Master Plan in October 2017. The process involved significant community engagement, led by the consulting team of Lord Cultural Resources and Nordicity, and guided by a Steering Committee of community cultural leaders. In total, more than 3,500 residents and visitors representing a wide variety of stakeholder groups were engaged to voice their thoughts on arts and culture in Brampton. The City remains committed to the continuous engagement of these creators and communities as a valued part of Brampton’s cultural ecology.

To learn more about the Culture Master Plan visit www.brampton.ca/culturemasterplan

Quotes
“Arts and culture are essential to the vibrancy and success of any city not only because they create jobs and drive economies, but also because the $28.5 billion Ontario arts industry contributes to residents’ quality of life and visitor experience. On behalf of Council, I thank all stakeholders who were involved in the creation of our very first Culture Master Plan, and look forward to seeing the positive results it will have on our great community as it is implemented.” 
-        Councillor Jeff Bowman, Chair, Economic Development and Culture

“The development of the Culture Master Plan is only the first step towards refocusing the ways in which the City drives and invests in arts and culture. Staff look forward to continuing to work towards becoming a cultural destination in Ontario, and, in partnership with our stakeholders, will only further build upon the immense creative talents and resources that make up our community with the shared goal of building a great city.”
-         Bob Darling, Director, Economic Development and Culture

 

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​Brampton is thinking bigger. We are a future ready organization with a sharp focus. We know our community’s growth, youth and diversity set us apart. We sit at the centre of Canada’s innovation super corridor, encouraging investment and growing our global success. We are building vibrant urban centres that ignite opportunity and instill pride in the people who live and work here. We are moving Brampton forward to be a connected city that is innovative, inclusive and bold. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Learn more at www.brampton.ca.