On June 20, 2016, Brandon’s municipal culture plan was presented and endorsed by City Council. The Culture Plan is the result of comprehensive engagement with the community. During this process, we heard from:

  • not-for-profit arts, heritage and cultural organizations
  • individual artists from disciplines including literary, performing and visual
  • business leaders
  • municipal staff
  • elected officials
  • Brandon University
  • Assiniboine Community College
  • Brandon School Division
  • community associations
  • residents through an online survey

To view the City of Brandon Culture Plan, please click on the following link: pdf City of Brandon Culture Plan (7 MB)

To view the City of Brandon Culture Plan Executive Summary, please click on the following link: pdf City of Brandon Culture Plan - Executive Summary (1 MB)

 

How will the Culture Plan support Brandon's growth?

This Culture Plan lays out a 5-10 year vision for culture in Brandon and is built around three strategic objectives:

  1. Build a strong and Vibrant Cultural Community
  2. Enhance access to Cultural Resources
  3. Expand Culture's Role in Economic Development

To view the Action and Implementation Plan, please click on the following link: pdf City of Brandon Culture Plan - Action and Implementation Plan (2 MB)

 

What is the City's role in Brandon's Cultural Landscape?

The Culture Plan also outlines the role that the City of Brandon can plan in culture as:

  • Planner and Policy Maker - Integrating and considering how culture can add value to plans and policies across departments
  • Partner - Establishing and sustaining relationships with external partners, organizations within the cultural sector, and with community and business partners
  • Facilitator and Convenor - Building connections and strengthening collaboration
  • Promoter and Champion - Acting as an advocate for cultural development within the City and beyond
  • Funder and Provider - Investing in cultural development including support for cultural programs and facilities

 

Brandon's Cultural Activity

To answer the question "what cultural assets does Brandon already have?", we used a cultural mapping process.

The following definition for cultural mapping is widely accepted by municipalities across Canada:

"Cultural mapping is a systematic approach to identifying, recording, classifying and analyzing a community's cultural resources in support of economic and community development agendas".

For a municipality, cultural mapping is a tool for understanding the assets in the community. These assets can be both tangible (cultural organizations and facilities) and intangible (unique stories and traditions specific to a community). The focus of the Brandon Cultural Mapping Inventory is on tangible cultural assets.

The report makes recommendations related to a variety of ways in which mapping can be continued, including addressing intangible cultural assets. Together, tangible and intangible cultural assets fuel cultural development, contributing to defining Brandon's unique identity. By identifying and mapping these resources in Brandon, we now have a solid base of information and knowledge that will inform subsequent planning and development initiatives.

To view the Cultural Mapping Findings, please click on the following link: pdf City of Brandon Culture Plan - Cultural Mapping Findings (276 KB)