News Release

HRM’s Cultural Advisory Committee’s Cultural Plan
draft Goals and Objectives receive unanimous endorsement from Council

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - HRM’s Cultural Advisory Committee (CAC) presented Cultural Plan draft Goals and Objectives to Council on Tuesday, September 13th and received a unanimous endorsement.

“We feel the draft Goals and Objectives we’ve presented to Council are representative of the public feedback we’ve received so far,” said Margaret Clow-Bohan, CAC member and Coordinator of the Writing Resource Centre at Dalhousie University. “The Goals and Objectives also coalesce all the disparate ideas and opinions we have received into one coherent vision that we can use to shape HRM’s cultural future and form the basis of the Cultural Plan.”

“We’re delighted with Council’s unanimous endorsement of the draft Goals and Objectives,” said Sue Uteck, Chair of the CAC and Councillor for HRM District 13. “We feel we have a solid framework on which to proceed with the draft Cultural Plan itself.”

In February 2005, Halifax Regional council authorized the establishment of the Cultural Advisory Committee to develop a draft Cultural Plan to help guide the region’s future cultural development. The plan, which will encompass rural, suburban, and urban areas, will recognize culture as the foundation of HRM’s social vitality and a major driver of economic and community development.

Cultural Plan Time line:

February, 2005: HRM Council authorizes formation of Cultural Advisory Committee to work with the public to draft Cultural Plan
June/July 2005: Phase one public consultations conducted
September 2005: Draft Cultural Plan Goals and Objectives presented to HRM Council; Cultural Plan web pages launch; phase two of public consultation begins
November/December 2005: Draft of Cultural Plan presented to Council; phase three of public consultation begins
Late Fall 2005: Final draft of Cultural Plan presented to Council

The CAC will soon be starting phase II of its public consultations, as well as launching its own web pages on the HRM web site.
 To view the draft Goals and Objectives, please visit the CAC Boards and Committee’s web pages at: http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/cac/index.html

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Holly Richardson
Cultural Advisory Committee Communications Representative
(902) 490-6889
richarh@halifax.ca

Jennifer Beck
Corporate Communications
(902) 490-4079
beckj@halifax.ca