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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-12-008 - Creative Communities Prosperity Fund Application.pREPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: February 27, 2012 SUBMITTED BY: Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development 519 741-2506 PREPARED BY: Cheryl York, Arts/Culture Co-ordinator, Economic Development 519 741-3400 Ext 3381 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: February 13, 2012 REPORT NO.: CAO-12-008 SUBJECT: Creative Communities Prosperity Fund Application RECOMMENDATION: That staff preparation of an application to the Province of Ontario’s Creative Communities Prosperity Fund be approved, conditional on the official announcement of the fund being available this year. BACKGROUND: Creative Communities Prosperity Fund Since 2007, through its Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Province of Ontario has funded an agenda to maintain and grow prosperity in the province in the arts, culture and heritage sector. Municipalities have been encouraged to create cultural plans. From 2009 on, assistance was provided through the Creative Communities Prosperity Fund (CCPF) to Help municipalities and Aboriginal communities develop culture as a key part of their community and economic development strategies, and integrate cultural planning with economic development, environmental responsibility, social equity and land use planning processes. Facilitate collaboration between and among culture and other sectors (such as business, environment, social). Support the development of capacity building tools and initiatives that will strengthen the cultural sector's capacity to generate new opportunities for economic growth, employment and wealth creation across Ontario. To date, more than 60 municipal applications have been funded. Information regarding the 2012 program has traditionally been announced in early spring. The CCPF fund may award up to 80% of the cost of a cultural planning project. The municipality is required to fund the remaining cost. ë ó ï , Cultural planning projects must be based on the principles of municipal cultural planning a process for identifying and leveraging a community's cultural resources, strengthening the management of those resources, and integrating those resources across all facets of local planning and decision making. REPORT: Culture Plans I and II (CPI and CPII) Culture Plan I was Kitchener’s first planning project for arts, culture and heritage development. The report was approved by City Council in 1996. CP I was created in partnership with representatives of the arts community. The plan contained twenty recommendations for action. Thanks to Culture Plan I, we have an arts and culture advisory committee at City Hall which offers consultation to staff and Council on arts and culture matters. Permanent arts and culture staff (Arts /Culture Unit, Community Services Department) provide the Artist-in-Residence program, twelve Rotunda Gallery exhibits a year, a public art program and various other programs. . Several recommendations in the plan focused on the creation of arts and culture festivals Kitchener now has many festivals including Multicultural Theatre Space’s IMPACT, Open Ears, Blues Festival, Multicultural Festival, Tapestry, Cruising on King, Word on the Street, Kidspark, Contemporary Arts Forum Kitchener and Area (CAFKA) and a host of others. Heritage festivals such as Oktoberfest and Christkindl Market continue to delight residents and visitors. Special Events Unit staff at the city support many of these festivals. The Waterloo Region Children’s Museum (now The Museum) was established as a result of CP I. The Museum and its neighbour, the Conrad Centre, provide cultural anchors directly on King Street. “Greening” the downtown was a recommendation of CP I. Recent re-development of downtown King Street (2008 – 2010) brought new trees and floral planters to the street. Urban design improvements will continue in the downtown core and in our community’s neighbourhoods. Other urban design actions mentioned in the plan were the installation of more fountains and the use of old industrial machinery as sculptural elements in public spaces. New fountains have been placed in Victoria Park and at Gaukel and Charles streets. The Industrial Artifacts Project allowed the collection and installation of many pieces of heritage machinery in the downtown, the warehouse/innovation district and along the Iron Horse Trail. Culture Plan II (CP II) In 2004, was prepared with wide community consultation. The plan was approved by Council in 2005. Building on the vision of CP I, the second plan was even more ambitious in scope. Sixty-one recommendations were put forward in CP II, illustrating topics and actions the community could work on together. Broadly speaking, the recommendations can be informally grouped in these categories: Maintain and/or improve existing city programs; Increase city resources for cultural development and planning; Develop plans and actions to recognize diversity; Increase media promotion and other types of comprehensive marketing for the arts including the use of new technology; ë ó î Develop resources for the sustainability of arts organizations; Investigate arts investmentopportunities including new festivals, live/work spaces for artists and multi-use arts facilities; Continue to supportand monitor the economic impact of the arts and the benefits of cultural planning. The City financed implementation of CP II from 2006 – 2009 ($280,000). During that period, a comprehensive “Community Investment Strategy Study” revised the grants program to allow those art organizations receiving annual operating grants to enter into multi-year agreements with the city without filling in an annual application. The City also contracted Artscape from Toronto to do a preliminary study of arts cluster development and the feasibility of a multi-use arts facility downtown. Another large project, developed with several arts organizations was the application for the “Cultural Capitals of Canada” program. Taking a leadership role, the City developed a diversity policy for use within the corporation, and encouraged partnerships to examine questions of diversity in the arts. From this, two pilot projects offering mentors and training for newcomer artists were developed and implemented in 2011. Region-wide, a new tourism strategy and a new regional history museum were created. In 2009, the partnering municipalities in the region received a federal grant to undertake a cultural mapping study which resulted in a foundational report that could be expanded in the future. Towards greater sustainability for individual, entrepreneurial artists, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge partnered with the Waterloo Region Small Business Centres and the Province of Ontario for three annual “Arts, Business, Creativity” events. Kitchener followed up in the fourth year with a series of three networking events for artists to stimulate further grass roots initiatives. The city’s public art program was re-confirmed in 2011 and a revised policy approved. During the past fifteen years and through two Culture Plans, the City of Kitchener has consistently increased its support for arts, culture and heritage developments through Grants Loans In-kind assistance Staff and program resources Promotion Working in co-operation with the community Public art policy and 1% funding. Context The official 5-year span of CP II and its implementation funding has ended (2005 – 2010). In the past two years, many things in our community have changed or shifted. 1) In the national context, the practice of Municipal Cultural Planning has spread from large cities like Toronto and Vancouver to mid-size cities like Hamilton and Peterborough. MCP has evolved through the advocacy of the provincial government and other agencies which promote the development of creative cities as a path to economic and social improvements. ë ó í 2) The Arts and Culture Unit has been moved from Community Programs and Services to the Economic Development Department. A new municipal cultural plan can provide the focus required for successful collaborations within a changed organizational structure. 3) Kitchener’s Official Plan is being updated and a new economic development strategy has been developed. Opportunities now exist for cultural plans to support the city’s Official Plan document and its other strategies in an integrated manner as the Public Art Policy now supports public art references in the Official Plan. 4) The Chamber of Commerce, through its Prosperity Council, has launched the Creative Enterprise Initiative. The mandate of this new non-profit organization is to work towards talent attraction and retention for Waterloo Region where the high tech sector is thriving, but is challenged to find knowledge workers willing to relocate. Initiatives in the early phases of the organization’s operation involve the arts and culture sector. 5) Other community culture providers, including the technology and entrepreneurial sectors, are re-aligning or re-developing their plans and their work. Building for the Future To raise awareness about municipal cultural planning principles, Kitchener and its regional municipal partners hosted an educational workshop on February 3 in conjunction with the Municipal Cultural Planning Inc (MCPI) agency. The theme was “Collaboration and Action” with presenters and participants discussing the current status of Culture plans; Economic development strategies; Official plans. The objective of the day’s discussions was to create inter-departmental and inter-municipal dialogue towards co-operative planning. Building on this initial educational workshop and Kitchener’s earlier Culture Plans, the City of Kitchener would like to embark on a new planning process for arts, culture and heritage through application to the CCPF. The project would be timely, given the current work on the Draft Official Plan. Arts and Culture Advisory Mandated to provide oversight for the city’s cultural plans, the Committee passed the following motion at its meeting held January 17, 2012: That council support the submission of an application for Creative Communities Prosperity Funding to support a new cultural planning project. Requirements for preparation of the application Resolution of municipal council authorizing the application; Quotes for consulting services for the project. A Request for Quotes (RFQ) is being prepared based on the terms of reference outlined below. Municipal Cultural Planning Project: General Terms of Reference for Consultant 1.0 Project Objectives a) Articulate a renewed vision for the development of arts and culture in Kitchener through 2018. ë ó ì b) Identify priorities for cultural development consistent with the city’s strategic plan, Official Plan, and other major planning documents. 2.0 Scope of Work/Deliverables a) Review previous culture plan document and achievements; b) Review municipal cultural planning principles and standards and their current application in the culture plans of other municipalities; c) Public consultation to establish community needs; d) Assess the general state of culture delivery in the community and within the municipal corporation; identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; e) Create a strong vision statement and guiding principles that are informed by municipal cultural planning standards; f) Identify strategic priorities and recommendations for implementation and evaluation, which are integrated with the city’s Official Plan and other relevant major planning documents including economic development strategies. 3.0 Project Sponsor and Stakeholders Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development City council and relevant city departments Arts and Culture Advisory Committee; Public Art Working Group Municipal government partners in the region Arts community Community cultural and economic development agencies 4.0 Schedule 2012 March: announce RFQ for consultants April: deadline to receive quotes April/May: Preparation of application to CCPF for June deadline (TBC) September: Consultant contract 2013 January: Consultant’s final report and presentation The development of a new five-year culture plan, funded in part by the CCPF, will enable Kitchener to make the best use of both internal and external resources for the community’s benefit to 2018. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: community Kitchener’s past experience with two Culture Plans is the foundation for continuing leadership and engagement in the preparation of a new plan. Culture-based prosperity in quality of life Canada’s cities is now recognized as an important contributor to and a factor in economic development success. ë ó ë FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The Culture Plan II Implementation capital account supports an upset limit for a consultant’s work at $20,000. This amount is 20% of an estimated maximum $100,000 budget with 80% of the funding coming from the Creative Communities Prosperity Fund. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The Arts and Culture Advisory Committee has endorsed the city’s need for a new culture plan and its application to Creative Communities Prosperity Fund as a means to support the development of a new plan. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development ë ó ê