Why a Cultural Plan?
In developing this Cultural Plan, the Town of Hanover joins leading municipalities across Canada in recognizing the important role played by cultural resources in enhancing quality of life and in building prosperous and diversified local economies. Today there are over 75 municipal cultural plans that have been completed covering over 75% of Ontario’s population.
As a growing municipality in Ontario, the Town of Hanover undertook this Cultural Plan to provide a strategic guide to developing and investing in its cultural resources and for leveraging these resources to advance other economic and wider community development objectives.
The Town has already shown leadership in cultural development in several ways. The first establishing a Steering Committee to undertake this Cultural Plan. The Cultural Plan provides a strategic guide to planning and investing in cultural development over the next 5 years and beyond.
The second and critically important way in which the Town has demonstrated leadership is through the integration of cultural resources into a range of important existing planning documents. While enhanced attention to cultural resources is possible and necessary, a foundation has been established in references to arts, culture or heritage in many core Town planning documents. Chapter Three identifies these plans and connections to the Cultural Plan.
The Town of Hanover Cultural Plan
The Cultural Plan consists of the following elements:
- Vision
- Town Roles
- Strategic Directions and Action Plan
- Governance Recommendations
- Implementation and Monitoring Recommendations
The Cultural Plan is grounded in 4 Strategic Directions, 2 Governance Recommendations and 2 Implementation and Monitoring Recommendations which establish a framework for 15 actions and 36 tactics. Each of these elements are presented in Chapter Five.
The Cultural Plan Vision and Strategic Directions are presented below.
Vision
The Town of Hanover envisions a community:
- Where culture is a cornerstone upon which vibrant resilient, competitive and creative industries are built around;
- Where there is commitment to support the growth and diversity of cultural activities and offerings in Hanover;
- Where Hanover’s cultural fabric will continue to flourish because of its diversity and interdependence of its not-for-profit community, the creative industries and a wide range of cultural consumers;
- Where diversity is welcomed as a source of strength and inspiration and celebrated by Hanover residents;
- Where cultural awareness and understanding will be the hallmark of community development decision-making in Hanover;
- Where recognition exists of our strong organizations that support artists and creators in order to drive the quality and perception of cultural value within the community.
Strategic Directions and Goals
In achieving this vision, the Cultural Plan has identified the following strategic directions:
Strategic Direction #1 – Enable Cultural Investments with Supportive Municipal Policy Structures
Goal - The Town of Hanover embraces a model of government that integrates culture holistically and comprehensively into the way it does business every day. The application of this cultural lens requests that all decision-making across the Town consider the impact that any decision might make on the vibrancy and identity of the community.
Strategic Direction #2 – Leverage Creativity and Culture to Attract and Retain People as Key Drivers of Innovation and Economic Growth
Goal - The Town of Hanover will collaborate with its partners in the community to take actions which foster innovation in all aspects of cultural policies, programs and services that support the incubation of cultural ideas and expression. The Town of Hanover is home to strong and energetic cultural networks that inform, build, and mentor individuals and organizations on current opportunities within cultural development.
Strategic Direction #3 – Create an Environment Where Enhanced Cultural Activities Can Take Place
Goal - The Town of Hanover will play a leadership role in finding practical ways to create an environment for collaboration and communication to create opportunities for continuing dialogue among cultural partners and to invite residents to engage and participate in cultural activities.
Strategic Direction #4 – Implement a Recognizable Cultural Identity for the Town that Communicates an Innovative, Transformative and Authentic Experience
Goal - Hanover’s identity leaves a lasting legacy that will change the mind-set of the town and raise its creative talent profile for years to come. Hanover recognizes the richness of its heritage as a defining characteristic of the community; one which embeds openness, understanding, appreciation and shares cross-cultural expression in the daily lives of residents and provides individuals rich opportunities to expand and learn new skills. Hanover’s identity solidifies as a performance and festival destination.
