It has been a busy couple of months for our Council’s small team! We were pleased to co-host with the City of Ottawa two key events at City Hall in February and March.
The Ottawa Heritage Day Ceremony and Showcase on February 20th was a great success. Forty of our Members presented exhibits in the showcase. Many City Councillors joined the Mayor and members of our Council’s Board of Directors for the event. Receiving the Mayor’s proclamation in recognition of their significant contributions were two of our valued Members: Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation and Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.
An added special event was the unveiling of a plaque and a video viewing of the contents of a special 2017 Time Capsule to be opened 50 years hence in 2067. We’re especially pleased that included in the capsule are legacies from Sesquicentennial initiatives we (co)stewarded: ceramic pieces from the Populace project funded by the Ottawa 2017 Arts, Culture and Heritage Investment Program and photographs from our Ottawa 150 – Capital Time Capture project funded by Ontario 150. Visit our Heritage Day photo gallery.
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The Workshop-Towards a Municipal Commemoration Policy held March 23rd was also well attended and featured three expert panel speakers and four discussion groups for our engaged participants. We will keep the heritage community apprised of the policy’s continued development. Some images are posted here.
Also at City Hall on February 8th, lead by our Outreach Manager Kimberley Lai, we launched a new Capital Heritage Mentorship Program with four established mentors and eight aspiring mentees, and look forward to the pilot program outcomes.
And, together with our Ottawa Cultural Alliance (OCA) partners, we’ve been hard at work on the Arms Length Cultural Development Feasibility Study to research a new model(s) and map out strategic directions to increase support for Ottawa’s cultural sector. Please take a moment to read the study update and to add your name to the email distribution list if you haven’t already done so. We look forward to your involvement in the study consultations.
We also continue to make representations advocating for increased investment in heritage and culture at Provincial and Municipal budget forums. And we encourage members of the heritage community to take advantage of the opportunity to advance your government advocacy skills at a special workshop Advocacy 101 Putting Cultural Priorities on the Agenda presented by the OCA on April 23rd.
We are serving on a newly formed Cultural Tourism Working Group together with colleagues from Ottawa Tourism, the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Cultural Alliance. And speaking of cultural tourism, our Congratulations go to two of our Members, the Bytown Museum and Ingenium on their nominations for the upcoming 2017 Ottawa Tourism Awards!
Catherine Lindquist, Executive Director