The city has its first culture plan, which council approved with little discussion Tuesday evening.
It includes 51 objectives aimed at nurturing culture within the community, from increased funding for large sites like the River Run Centre to increasing access to affordable spaces to create, rehearse, perform and exhibit.
All of the objectives have been approved in principle, with budgetary approval required for each before they’re implemented.
An add-on motion from Coun. Linda Busuttil also received unanimous approval. That motion directs staff to consider inclusion of city-owned cultural, archival or heritage artifacts into public displays, with a report back to council no later than the second quarter of 2025.
Approval of the plan means council supports upgrades to municipal properties in order to build capacity for culture activities, as well as enhance/expand culture programming, establishment of culture-friendly policies and bylaws, and support for culture uses at the city-owned former drill hall as well as the provincially-owned former Ontario Reformatory lands.
Full details of the plan, which covers 2023 to 2030, can be found here.
“It seems like we’re actually quite excited about it,” Coun. Cathy Downer said after a unanimous vote by council’s committee of the whole on Oct. 3.
It’s not known what initiatives in the culture plan will cost, but the price of conducting an “in-depth cost analysis” to implement the seven-year plan will be included in the draft 2024-2027 budget presented to council next week.
“What we’ve heard from Guelph culture contributors is that there are serious challenges threatening the continuing existence of the local culture scene, which has been such a prominent feature of Guelph’s identity,” said Tammy Adkin, manager of Guelph Museums, while presenting the plan to the committee of the whole.
Those challenges include a lack of space for exhibitions, performances, rehearsals and studios; limited representation and opportunities for equity-deserving artists and audiences; and difficulties attracting community support.
The housing crisis and rising cost of living have also impacted artists and their ability to stay in the city.
