Arts and Culture Advisory Committee

0:02Please feel free to use the icon for the raise of hand for feeling.

0:09Um, just to remind you that it is recorded and will be accessible online after the meeting.

0:19And this is an open meeting. So people outside of the committee can join virtually as well.

0:25I will provide the indigenous territorial acknowledgement.

0:30So as we gather, let us take time to reflect on our privilege to live and work in the fall.

0:35A city built over rich indigenous histories.

0:38We are guests here and we should reflect upon the responsibility to care for this land,

0:43the people who live here today, and the generations to come.

0:46And our actions today can move us towards reconciliation.

0:50We should take pause and make those decisions with intention and gratitude.

0:55This place we call Gual has served as traditional lands and a place of refuge for many peoples over time,

1:02but more specifically the Atamwanderok and the Haudenosaunee.

1:06This land is held as the treating lands and territory with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

1:12Gual applies directly adjacent to the Haldamon tract and is part of a long-established traditional handsome problem

1:19for the six nations of the Grand River.

1:21Many First Nations, Inuit and Métis people who have come across Turtle Island called Gual today.

1:28We don't have any disclosure or pecuniary interest, but if anybody would like to disclose anything,

1:36I'll let them do so now.

1:38Not seeing any.

1:41We'll move on to the approval of minutes.

1:44So we will see in the minutes in the agenda package.

1:50So the recommendation is that the minutes from the February 26th,

1:58meaning I did not update my script, the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee be approved.

2:04Does anyone have any comments or concerns about the contents of the minutes?

2:14Would anyone want to move to approve the minutes?

2:22And do we have a seconder?

2:30I wasn't here.

2:32I'll second it.

2:36Okay. Thank you, everyone.

2:39So we have just called the vote on that.

2:42Oh, it's called vote.

2:43Yeah.

2:44Okay.

2:45Anyone against the approval of the minutes?

2:51Okay.

2:52So then that carries.

2:53Thank you.

2:56Moving on to items for discussion.

2:58We have two items today.

3:01The first is the Museum and Culture Strategic Plan between 26 to 2030,

3:08which will be familiar for those of us who sat on the Museum Advisory Committee,

3:13but not so much for the public part.

3:17And Tammy will be speaking to this item.

3:21Thank you.

3:22And actually the Public Art Advisory Committee was involved in reviewing the last strategic operating plan.

3:28So, yeah, so thanks everyone for being here tonight.

3:33You would have received my staff report with respect to renewal of our strategic operating plan.

3:42And essentially what staff are proposing is that our current strategic operating plan expired and was extended.

3:55And in looking at developing a strategic operating plan to God,

4:01or we're going forward, we felt that there was enough resonance still with the existing strategic plan to renew that plan rather than develop a whole new strategic plan.

4:16And the reason for that is we think it was, and you believe it still is,

4:23an ambitious plan that was developed in community with lots of community engagement at the time,

4:30that there is still work to be done in achieving some of the goals that are articulate,

4:36achieving both of the goals that are articulated in the plan.

4:39They still are quite relevant.

4:42And in the interim from when our strategic operating plan was launched and now we did go through extensive community engagement that informed the creation of culture plan 2030.

4:55And that culture plan is relevant in informing our strategic plan.

5:02So I thought what we could do tonight is walk you through,

5:07I could walk you through what a refreshed plan might look like,

5:12like what will mine out of the existing plan, where there's areas for some consideration.

5:21And then depending on the feedback that you give to us tonight,

5:29if it is, if you are in agreement that we should move forward with refreshing our current strategic operating plan,

5:36then we will do the work with our staff team to develop, to further expand on the objectives that are outlined in this plan and develop more plans around it.

5:50So you're going to see very high level information tonight.

5:53If that's relevant and you are comfortable that it will be effective in guiding our work for until 2030,

6:01which is the sunset date of the cultural plan,

6:06then we'll put some more work together and then we'll bring back a draft strategic operating plan for approval by the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee.

6:15So does that sound good process for now?

6:19Okay. So in drafting what could be a refreshed plan,

6:24I did think it was a good idea to retitle it so that it isn't just that what we're talking about is not just another extension of an existing plan.

6:35We are going to do some work to update it and refresh it.

6:38And all of this is draft and up for discussion either tonight.

6:44We'll seek your advice or when it comes back to committee for approval of the old plan.

6:49So the working title is Reflection to Action, Reconciling the Past, Reimagining the Future.

6:56Our plan is rooted in corporate plans, including the Welf's Community Plan.

7:05That community plan was developed by community with a long lens on what community wanted Welf to be well into the future.

7:16And so the community vision that is articulated in that plan, the values and the focus themes have remained consistent.

7:24There aren't any changes in those.

7:26And we found when we were developing this plan, those who were at the table, then I think you'll recall we found the community plan to be really inspiring and aspirational when setting out to determine what these aims and culture would do to help achieve the community plan.

7:48Our plan is also rooted because we are part of the city of Welf. We are in the city of Welf. It is rooted in the future Welf's Strategic Plan.

7:58That plan had been updated since 2021.

8:05And I understand is set to be renewed starting in 2027. So I don't have a lot of detail on that. But what I can say is the vision, the mission and the values of the city's strategic plan have remained consistent and continue to divide our work.

8:26And then when the city updated its strategic plan, it did consolidate some of the strategic themes. And so those have been updated here. The themes for the city are foundations, city building, environment and people and economy, and the museum and culture work fits under the city building theme and has since the formation of the strategic plan.

8:53So when we were developing our strategic plan in 2021, we considered the influences and what we should be responding to in terms of societal and environmental impacts.

9:12And these are the forces that we identified were relevant at that time. And I think this is an area for us to consider. Are they still relevant? And are there other influences to consider?

9:30So I'll just go through them quick and then maybe pause and see if anybody has any reflection on these influences at this time. So truth and reconciliation, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, COVID recovery, social and economic resilience, digitalization,

9:50social media and storytelling, social media storytelling, remote programming, shared authority, flexibility, sustainability, shared experiences, well-being, open data, critical thinking and accessibility.

10:10Should I say are any of these not resonating anymore?

10:17I feel like COVID. Yeah. We passed it.

10:20And I think that would be great. Well-being if anything. I think anything like it needs to be integrated, just well-being, community health or something. I hope you will be.

10:37I think it's another, the word resilience, I know it's there for social and economic, but it, I think we've developed also maybe, I don't know what you'd call it, but there's resilience in there that is kind of a leftover, I think from COVID where we're looking forward with that idea.

11:04Any other influences that have had today and we thought would consider or we don't think are impacting our work?

11:15I wonder about naming artificial intelligence. Yeah.

11:19That's the thing.

11:20I just thought open data, I was thinking about too. I don't know about remote programming. I guess that seems connected to the COVID recovery.

11:32You're right. Yeah.

11:34And it might tie in a bit with social media storytelling. I think Julia had some comments online.

11:42Yeah.

11:47Julie, if you want to share your comments out loud, then be appreciated. We just can't use the chat.

11:52Yeah, that's great.

11:53We can see her to closed.

11:55Got it. Perfect. So can I just do mine quick then?

11:59I would replace COVID with poly crisis and I'd add something like affordability and increasing wealth gap. I think there's like a disparity between economic levels and wealth that I think is a factor and then lack of resources at the municipal level.

12:22That's all.

12:24Any other changes?

12:32What does open data mean? Sorry.

12:35I had to Google it too.

12:37I'm like, I should know this but yeah, probably I should too.

12:41I'll be my best to explain it, but maybe we can have a future guess from it.

12:53As I understand it, well, there's actually a range of what it as I understand it, the city has data set that it can make that it makes available for researchers and others who know how to use that data or want to manipulate that data to for

13:12purposes that advance work outside of the city. So things like running a data set about, let's say cultural organizations.

13:27Somebody external to the city could use that data set then to create a culture map that would be informed by by the city's data.

13:36In the in a museum example, a more simple example, we have a collections database that has lots of images.

13:44If that were to become open data, well it is open data to a extent, but we do have parameters around the use of it.

13:51But if it was determined it was in the interest to make and some museums have to make their photographic collection open data, people could come in and consume that information.

14:03I mean, I believe that data is they chose to.

14:09That is my understanding of open data.

14:17If I could operate that it is challenged a bit by copyright. So not a bit it is challenged open data is challenged by copyright right so there's copyright law and artwork.

14:28A museum can hold in our work but it doesn't hold the copyright on the artwork that is retained by the artist.

14:34We can't make that openly freely accessible for use by anybody in any way that they may wish to use it.

14:43But there is a kind of I think movement in museums and other public collections to make our data freely accessible to remove barriers to access and use by.

14:56An example that would be the Rijksmuseum making access available to some of their artworks that people can then manipulate or create their own art tours or their own galleries that sort of thing.

15:07So there are there are parameters around and then copyright at that point ceases to like a certain depending on the lifespan of the artist and the government differently in different geographies as well.

15:21I think like access, like maybe that falls under it but I and also just with news that the one wanting to change it up a while like I think there's a lot of though access.

15:37And I know there's a lot of issues that a lot of researchers based in accessing Canadian history at archives museums.

15:45So am I hearing that open data should be considered within a broader, I guess, category that includes AI and access to information.

16:04Yeah, I was thinking that maybe.

16:06So going back to Julia's point, are we tying her points to the social economic resilience or is a separate shift about the widening economic gap.

16:21So is that connected in any way to the social and economic resilience or.

16:25I heard it is a separate influence but I'll let Julian.

16:30I think social and economic resilience sounds like a nice to have.

16:40But I think the the influence is like the increasing wealth gap.

16:48So I think it should be like separate because social and economic resilience is our like collective goal.

16:57But it's also were impacted by both the lack of affordability for a lot of the community and this increasing wealth gap, which and I think those things are actually different things like affordability of day to day and and the like gap of like actual

17:17wealth in society are like these like that is like a negative force that I think is being felt at the local level.

17:29Thanks.

17:30I think that's a really important distinction and when I look at these I think there are a number of others that critical thinking for example is that a current force or is that something that we aspire to.

17:47I think there's within these a bit of confusion there.

17:56Yeah, critical thinking was in response to misinformation and disinformation wanting to create resilience through critical thinking and so that's how we captured it there.

18:06But I'm hearing that it might be clear to say to name the.

18:11The forces. Yeah, yeah, I think so if that's how it's going to be.

18:17If that's the context where we're looking at. And I think that would be really valuable actually to see those those forces those concerns me.

18:39I was going to say maybe just even in some cases that you could just add like a.

18:48That's like the demand for or like the need for so that is like that's the force that's happening not like a lot of these do see my goals.

18:58Yeah to me now that Julie said that I'm like oh yeah those are really forces they're like things we want to achieve because of the forces that are like the desire for or the need for.

19:11To clarify, but that's not influences there.

19:19There again, if we decide we're going to refresh we will bring back a draft with this and feedback integrated and there would be opportunity for further discussion.

19:34So the mandate that we established in 2021 when we first wrote the plan.

19:42Collect and protect artifacts artworks and stories that reflect our community share the collections and stories locally nationally and internationally through exhibition interpretation and online access.

19:54Provide inclusive accessible interactive and lightning experiences.

19:59Nurture interest and engagement in history art and culture and cultivated connection to place with focus on the tangible and intangible cultural landscape.

20:10We need to go off.

20:12And so the question remains to these still resonate.

20:41I feel like there should be a point about like connection to each other, more than just to the place, and because people are the place in a way you know.

20:53And I don't feel like any of those points really speak to that.

21:02I wondered if here or in strategic directions there should be stated again I know it was stated in influences.

21:11Whether reconciliation should be mentioned there as well.

21:18Do you have any comments.

21:31Yeah, I agree with them, maybe both of those and I think it's like social connection and cohesion.

21:41And I just remember from an agreed on the reconciliation. I think it's like the process by which we like present cultural activities elements, whatever is also like bringing in like the spirit of like truth and reconciliation or tangible where it's like actually to try to advance tangible

22:07steps towards. And then my last comment is just where we say our community. I think in some of the language before and other things we're trying to be less possessive about things.

22:21I agree on both of those points. So I'm hearing some great considerations for additions and expanding this mandate to include I would say what we are actually doing.

22:45And is there anything that is currently articulated in the mandate that isn't relevant.

23:04Moving on to strategic directions.

23:08I love these so much when we develop them and like I am still in love with them.

23:14That's my bias so strategic directions wealth museums and culture will adapt to meet community needs to address emerging opportunities and to foster transformational change.

23:28And to advance knowledge and cultivate creativity using best practices and technologies represent the full and truthful stories of our community from perspectives as plentiful and diverse as the community itself and amplify voices that have traditionally been underrepresented

23:46and next citizens to opportunities and people to each other and grow community engagement and participation in our heritage activities, build profile of a local cultural sector, increase opportunities for artists and boost economic impact through culture contributing to a prosperous

24:04entity.

24:07Do these still resume.

24:13I shouldn't share my bias.

24:17I have an issue with the word truthful. And I haven't really initially looked at it I know years ago but it sticks with me because I find truthful to subjective and we're never actually going to reach it, because we will think right now that we're being truthful.

24:38But then something will come to light later. And I just it always kept like I always get stuck on that word.

24:53Those true.

24:56Maybe authentic.

25:06Sort of.

25:08It's more like about the intent of fair and so.

25:15If I may just on on the on the terminology full and truthful. I think I suggest represent the stories of our community from perspectives that's been a full and diverse as a community itself covers the scope because it's really the community leading the story so what's true for one person is true for them.

25:33True for the next person truth from them.

25:36So, so maybe I suggest just removing full and truthful as a modifier on story.

25:41Yeah, it centers the community perspective and yeah, yeah, rather than posing a museum's idea of truth.

25:53Although I think that authentic could work there too.

25:57I love all the words but I was just I was just thinking that how do we verify what is authentic how do we verify what is truths.

26:08Yeah, just so I'll just pitch something in here for consider as we consider this and hearing this will make and and pretty that was that.

26:18I'm thinking about what's happening in the United States at the Smithsonian Museums and the mistruth that is being presented within some of those institutions.

26:32So, I just think we want to chew on that a little, little bit.

26:40So authentic.

26:42And I do hear the concern with with the word truthful.

26:49Yeah, and we do want to make we do want to make sure that because museums are trusted places for the most accurate information as we know it at the time, like it's verified.

27:14We want to make sure that what we present at the museum and through culture is authentic and is grounded in reality.

27:31So, do, do we want to like replace the word truthful with factual or just.

27:44It's my.

27:50It's a good suggestion.

27:55There's a little bit slow.

27:56I feel like you're true.

27:58I don't know how you feel like I think where I'm coming from because I think of it from like the history or graphical perspective of like, do you study the history of studying history and how much the study of history changed based on time period that you were in when you were studying it and at that time it's like, that was the.

28:15That's where you're coming from. It's just it's always like, but I think if you go back to to like the archival values, how do you determine what is an authentic record because you can falsify records and why they have to do that was because originally.

28:29You would just put something in an archive and then that would be authentic, but then they found out people were forging documents. So then they have to find it based off of integrity, authenticity.

28:41And then they found that blanking on.

28:45But to promise.

28:47No, that's just that's prominence and.

28:53I feel like that's looking at the.

28:57Lots of time.

29:00I saw Andy reliable sorry that was it.

29:04Andy, did you have your hand raised.

29:08Yeah, my camera's not working. What can you guys hear me.

29:11Yeah, I think that using the word factual would not be good for my perspective like I don't think that that would help the case, especially when we're talking about amplifying community perspectives.

29:27That is subjective. It's based on the subjects and our communities and their truths. So I think saying facts and facts.

29:37Are typically devoid of subjectivity.

29:40And our scene is like objective and then like, what's neutrality, what's objective is a huge question. So I think.

29:50Truthful works for me like I don't see an issue with it myself. I think it's better than the alternative of calling it factual.

29:58That's where I'm at.

30:05I agree with that Andy.

30:07And even though I said the word factual, but I think we could solve some of this if we put these words in right after adapt. So we said adapt to evolving histories and perspectives to meet community needs address emerging opportunities and transfer

30:25Foster transformational change.

30:27My two cents on that one.

30:29This is engine.

30:34I got the attempt part but adding afterwards.

30:39Yeah, it says, so adapt evolving histories and perspectives.

30:45And I think that then just frames all of this work as continually evolving, like in response to things. So I think just if those words made sense there.

31:03It can kind of help with some of the other clauses.

31:08And you have a non strategic directions.

31:19So, in the plan, and these are kind of the big buckets, the goals, we identified goals for each of the strategic directions and so I've included what we had in the 2021 to 2025 goals.

31:43And then the next column is 2026 to 2030 with the rent question marks me. Is there anything are there any other goals that come to mind that would help us to advance our strategic directions so under adapt in the initial plan we said increase access through

32:04digitalization and practice and model environmental sustainability.

32:09I have moved those goals over we did have objectives attached to each of those goals and we met some of them and didn't meet some of them. But we haven't. I would suggest we still have a way to go in achieving those goals and so I think they're still relevant and and

32:29important and guiding our plan.

32:32And in fact, I was thinking, maybe moving digitalization to to innovation instead because it seemed to fit that description better but when we were thinking of adapting and with the language that Julia has just shared.

32:51Perhaps there's some goals related to that that we can add in and we can do that again if we're going to go forward with a refresh on this we can take that feedback and and develop those goals and bring them back consideration.

33:09But that said, are there any goals that are jumping out to people that we should consider to advance our work in adapting in to our strategic intent to adapt.

33:20Is there any work that's being done in the museum lands that is looking into what you were discussing around sort of the rewriting of history and the the misinformation and the

33:49looking at sort of this evolving nature of of how we view truth and history is.

33:59Is there something that should be worded in there.

34:04I want to start to have any connection.

34:09Work be done anywhere. I really appreciate the question and the invitation to offer some thoughts.

34:16I think you know can I point in this conversation to a resource that we could all look at right away. I can't but I'm happy to gather some references.

34:27Certainly in practice day to day in the museums and culture spaces we are practicing the priority around adapting to understand in all the ways that we need to through museums and culture working with community.

34:45Creating capacity and to properly resource community engagement in in those understandings.

34:55I think probably in the wider sector there's lots of great tools that we could look at to help us to kind of like formalize an intention in the strategic plan and then would guide our work as well.

35:07So it would be helpful to have something in.

35:13I know the Canadian Association of Science Centres has leaned hard into that and have developed some really excellent resources and studies and so we can certainly take a look at those and yeah yeah.

35:30Yeah if the word there I think we could add a bullet that says something like map trends and issues impacting society because then that just shows that in that adapt section the you're paying attention to those and it doesn't need to be like a huge exercise but there is some kind of like thought throughout and it is just like a bullet.

35:55All right under innovate goals the last time we identified the renovation of the wealth civic museum.

36:13Which is underway right now.

36:17Of course of late and so I did add as a potential goal for 2026 to 2030 commemorate wealth 200 by actioning reconciliation with indigenous peoples and legacy initiatives that contribute to future community wellness because I do think we are taking an innovative approach to how we can

36:39commemorate that milestone.

36:42And so that's why I ended under anything.

36:48So you can tell me I'm off base on that over creative people and and also suggest any other goals that might come to mind to advance.

37:00Our intent to to innovate.

37:04I mean did you say in the previous slide that the digitalization would be you'd suggested moving it under and I think I'm thinking it works well under the better under innovate.

37:16It's so yeah.

37:18I feel like it being under adapt is very open coded.

37:22Yeah, I came out of that space and exactly.

37:25Yeah.

37:26Now makes more sense for the energy behind that.

37:32Is digitalization also is pinned to digitalization.

37:40Removing barriers to access.

37:43If it is is that language we want is that attention important for us to write into.

37:50To tether to digitalization.

37:54Because I think digitalization is one thing, but provisioning access to that.

37:59And to those resources I think is is adjacent but not not summed up completely in that one word.

38:11The thing that has been brought to mind kind of by the digitalization but maybe it's separate to that is.

38:19What I guess I'm curious about the work that's being done to maybe collect for digital entities things that will have only ever lived online.

38:30I'm sure there's a lot of I know there's a lot of issues with that but I can just there's a lot that we create that's so transient and that just gets lost even though everything stays around forever it does get lost.

38:42Yeah.

38:43And so I just wondering like if there that was on the horizon or any considerations of how that work is going to integrate.

38:51That could certainly be built in as an objective.

38:54We are living it.

38:56So built in as an objective in the work plan.

38:59For interest and that is aligned with that question you could look at our rapid response collecting program, which is part of the collections committed to the mandate that's the collections mandate.

39:14But it's also searchable and accessible and our online archive.

39:19And a lot of the materials that came out of that which was inspired directly by.

39:25Not by the pandemic. The pandemic forced us into spaces that we were having to work from in unusual ways or new ways. And one of those outcomes was a commitment to born digital content.

39:39And so there's there is some we've advanced that priority a little bit, but I would love an opportunity to really differently make that into practice. Yeah.

39:57So I represent goals. So, in 2021, we identified decolonize and recenter spaces and practices, diversified collections, diversified programming and diversified staff and volunteer composition.

40:13And so I moved over to 2026 decolonize and recenter spaces and practices because that is ongoing work.

40:22I also moved over diversified collections because that is ongoing and challenging work.

40:29I do feel that we have made great strides in diversifying our programming and staff volunteer composition.

40:40And that that is baked into our operations now, but the area is that strategically we need to advance in terms of diversified diversification is in the area of collections.

40:53So happy to have here reflection on that and also any other represent goals that that you might that might come to mind.

41:04Now just does anybody disagree that diversifying programming into diversifying staff and volunteer composition should be considered baked in now and that need not be articulated in our strategy, strategic intense going forward.

41:40It does.

41:41I did write it down as something to question. Yeah.

41:47Just because I wonder if, if you're ever done that, but maybe.

41:56Yeah, I don't think. Yeah, but you're, you're ever really finished with that.

42:10I questioned it. Yeah, it's not that it's not important. No, it's just, you know, and I'll give an example of our military lectures.

42:21I think which really benefited from us saying diversified programming because those military lectures would be six a year, all offered by white men of a certain vintage and bless them.

42:34They were passionate about that. Our military lecture program looks very different.

42:39It's fantastic. Right. And there is a cultural diversity, gender diversity built in in terms of the topics and the presenters that we will continue to do without identifying without having to put a quote on it, which is what we basically did with programming that I think we said.

43:0230% of our presenters would represent an underrepresented community in the space because we weren't sure there would be lecturers that.

43:13That had the knowledge to share, but in fact, there are.

43:20So that's, that's why I didn't move it forward, but I do understand it does give me losses.

43:30Well, I feel though that diverse collections would lead to diverse programming. So I think I get what you're saying with it being baked in where if we have the diversity and the collection, what it is, what the substance matter, it will lead to opening up the door for different perspectives to be brought in.

43:53May I suggest, I think that's true, but I think it's also true in the opposite direction. Yeah, as well. Oftentimes when we do engage a program, create an exhibition, it actually directly leads to diversification of the collection.

44:07So we're, you know, an exhibition or a program invites us to work often collaboratively in community with folks of different experiences and different interests who then bring to the table in the program or the exhibition, for example.

44:22Stories and understanding some perspectives that are not yet represented in the collection and oftentimes through that relationship making and the sort of co creation of whatever that is leads to an opportunity for the museum either to invite folks to consider offering an artifact and

44:45different stories associated with the artifacts to the collections, or they themselves come forward and say, hey, we see this as a gap. But I think the it's the relationship piece I think that sets the priority and leads to kind of that kind of real change that we end up seeing.

45:02So I wondered if in the context of diversity, using the firm intersectionality between not just between collections programming staff and volunteer composition composition because I think those things are interrelated, but then also in terms of what we're talking about what we say diversification or diversity, or do my diversify.

45:31Maybe there's room you use a term relationships, which affect all and maybe it's a diversification of relationships that could have implications in all of those areas.

45:43But that our work plan specifically calls out collections because it's worth that we want to be really, we need to be really attention. Absolutely. Yeah.

45:54And connect goals so 2021 we set up to establish Wells cultural plan and integrate culture and museum operations.

46:202026. It's time to implement and evaluate the culture plan.

46:26I think we have come a long way and bring me so just for background in case people didn't know the museums operated as well museums for a very long time.

46:38And the culture departments sat with it at City Hall with at one time lined with tourism.

46:47And during the pandemic or early post pandemic, there was a restructuring and culture and museums came together and one department and so.

46:58And so I think over the course of time, like since 2021 we've done a good job integrating our team and there's still there are still some silos that exist stuff that we will continue to work on.

47:13But I do think we're at a place now where we can really elevate museums and cultures of Brandon. I know when we talk about it automatically now I say museums and culture as opposed to just we see that closely so and our team is very much aligned and so.

47:31So I think I do think we have work to do though to elevate that brand would come together now how are we going to have meeting.

47:40Yeah, I feel like the culture already specially I feel like for some reason maybe most people here tells more towards the museum part of it.

47:55So the culture seems to like lag a little bit, but in general I feel like yeah the idea of which my culture has come to stay in our minds but the elevation of the cultural party something that is always work in progress.

48:10Well yeah, I agree.

48:15Yes, go ahead.

48:17Oh no it's just Julie Heather and raises. Okay.

48:23Thanks.

48:25I agree with everything I said I was thinking of adding a bullet that was ensure adequate resourcing for implement implementation of the culture plan.

48:46Appreciate that.

48:53I don't know if this is the place for it but when I thought connect.

49:01I wonder if there is a goal that speaks to the connection with community partners with with really identifying the importance of

49:22the culture plan, not just not just in places where planning is done and doing engagement, but connection with community partners on an ongoing basis not for profits community groups library.

49:43I think that's a really tough they're absolutely need and I think that's a really timely goal because with the 12200 work that is happening that is intended to, you know, a lot of that work is intended to be community driven supported by the city we are

50:11I thought that we have good established partnerships anyway, but we are opening all kinds of door new doors to partnerships and so I think it's timely because those relationships could actually be a legacy.

50:27Or to be on the.

50:30I appreciate that.

50:32I'm thinking I'll send connect goals.

50:46I'm just going to go a little bit more on the financing of all this.

50:51To my earlier point, should we establish something that says like, it's like, it was around resourcing like ensure adequate resourcing to museums and culture.

51:05And that it's benchmarked to other Ontario or Canadian communities.

51:13I kind of think we have this like aspirational brilliant plan, but then where it falls down is like the the sometimes like the inability to implement because like on an end at least my experience in the last two years we've had like major cuts come out of.

51:34Or risk coming out of the specific budget. So, I think that's why I'm pushing a little harder on like making sure we have some form of like maybe external validation for what the goal like the financial investment is because I think that will make it easier to like implement into the long term.

51:56That's great, Julia. And within the culture plan there is benchmarking with comparator municipalities. And so, yeah, establishing up a link to goals here would be really good.

52:25And finally grow goals.

52:292021 to 25 offer more programs and events increase attendance and participation, increase work opportunities for artists, revise the public art policy, and refine museum gift shop operations.

52:45The goals that I moved over advanced in 2026 were increase attendance and participation.

52:53I'm not sure we have to offer more opportunities but we need to engage with more people.

53:00Strength and foundational supports for art and cultural organizations and workers. So that goes beyond just aspiring artists to do stuff and create like they're there through the culture plan.

53:13And then identify a number of needs from the community for foundational supports beyond that. So I kind of brought that statement as a goal and then developing implement a public art operations plan.

53:27So we did a new public art policy or we revise the public art policy. We need to action on that policy. And that's what an operations plan would do.

53:41And then with the financial piece that Julia was talking about connect if that would kind of fit under grow fit more than just I was thinking because I had the idea of growing it's like how are we going to put the funds and the resources being there.

54:03So when we get into the work we can see where it best fits. And then finally identified significant dates of the top of our calendar between now and 2030 that includes the bicentennial in 2027, the 15th anniversary of the not so new Civic Museum in 2027, and the 250th anniversary of

54:39the

55:10that we've been moving forward, looking at the foundational documents.

55:17Would you agree with the staff recommendation that we should refresh

55:22the current strategic operating plan rather than building a new strategic operating?

55:36Miss Julia, I fully agree with that.

55:39And I also have to sign off at six because I have another meeting.

55:43I'm sorry.

55:45Do we lose quorum?

55:48Because I think Andy may not even get a drop off.

55:51So we do.

55:57Doesn't. Can I ask a question?

55:59Doesn't quorum happen at the beginning, but then like, does it need to be maintained

56:04through the whole meeting? That's a question for us.

56:07Correct. Yes.

56:08Quorum has to be maintained once quorum is lost, then the meeting becomes

56:13adjourned automatically.

56:17We've lost it.

56:18We will once Julia leaves.

56:24So maybe we can vote on this and then table wealth 200 because it isn't.

56:30Yeah. Yeah.

56:36And with that said, I can I can bring up the notes and the motion.

56:41I was trying to.

56:44I'm sure everything.

56:46Lots of good comments, though.

56:51So the first motion is that the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee

56:55received the staff report titled

56:5812th Museums Culture Strategic Plan dated March 26, 2026.

57:02I've just separated them, but we can we can vote on both of them together.

57:07And the second motion.

57:09I can change this up here.

57:13Is that the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee provide the following

57:16comments for staff's consideration regarding the proposed museums

57:20and Culture Strategic Plan 2026.

57:22And I've kind of divided it.

57:24It's very small and I'm so sorry, but there is so much

57:28and we're working with.

57:36So I have considered the following feedback as it relates to the current

57:39influences to remove or replace COVID recovery with

57:43Pauli crisis, integrating health with well being, so health and well being

57:49at affordability and increasing wealth gap.

57:53Open data should be considered in a broader category that could encompass

57:57AI and access to archives, critical thinking, expand or add

58:02the demand for or need for on forces.

58:07Consider the following feedback as it relates to the current mandate,

58:10adding in a point to include connection to the place and space,

58:14adding language to reconciliation to the mandate,

58:19including social connection and cohesion.

58:23Consider the following feedback as it relates to the strategic directions

58:26so removing the wording full and truthful,

58:30adding adaptive, evolving histories and perspectives.

58:33This will help frame all this work as continually evolving.

58:38Consider adding a map trends and issues society to the adapt goals,

58:42considering including the access through digitized digitization to the innovate

58:47goals, consider the following comments as it relates to the connect goals,

58:51adding and share adequate resourcing for the museums and Culture Plan 2030.

58:56And then I just added that point, Julia, that you made it looking at benchmarking

58:59resourcing to other Canadian communities.

59:04And I'm language related to connection with community partners

59:08and identifying the importance to the Culture Plan.

59:12But don't know if I captured everything or if I captured it correctly.

59:16But please let me know if you want any edits.

59:20Additions, if you can see that.

59:25Well, just in terms of.

59:29That's good.

59:30What you're going to take forward to work on.

59:33Does that frame it well enough for you?

59:36I think so.

59:37And of course, this meeting is recorded and we can read the recording as well.

59:41So, yeah.

59:43And it will be coming back.

59:47So we'll see that.

59:48So I think like.

59:50I'll move to that.

59:51We.

59:54Do what we do.

59:55To what we do.

59:57Yeah, to prove the recommendations.

1:00:00So we also need a seconder.

1:00:02I can second.

1:00:06I'm going to assume that we're all in favor, but any opposed.

1:00:11No, thanks to Leah.

1:00:16And sorry.

1:00:17No, I'm sorry.

1:00:22That will adjourn the meeting.

1:00:23Yeah.

1:00:25Sorry.

1:00:27Thank you all.

1:00:27That was really great discussion.

1:00:29Really appreciate being able to refresh this.

1:00:32This plan rather than starting from you.

1:00:34So.

1:00:36We got a lot of the go.