Peterborough's Municipal Cultural Plan – Why Diversity is an Essential Component

What is Municipal Cultural Planning? Municipal cultural planning is the “strategic and integrated planning and use of cultural resources for economic and community development”. Municipal Cultural Planning Incorporated It is a process through which the cultural resources of a community are leveraged to build community prosperity 2

What is Municipal Cultural Planning? It is a master plan for use by the City in directing its investment in culture and for identifying municipal priorities Under the direction of Council the City will work to integrate culture in plans and policies across all departments and help build local capacity among cultural groups. 3

Why is MCP Important? We are in a time of changing economic theories/paradigms Moving away from physical assets or jobs based on physical activity and large quantities of natural/raw resources – production of goods Focus is now on creativity, knowledge, innovation, analytical skills and judgment Work people do - not industries in which people work 4

Defining the Creative Economy 5

Creative Economy = Current & Future Prosperity What is needed for economic success ? High quality of life Accommodation of diversity Successful talent attraction & retention Growth in technology intensive economic activities 6

Attracting the Creative Class To create an environment to attract creative class, there must be social, economic and cultural incentives that entice individuals and companies to enter and stay in the community. Three T ‘s are essential Technology Talent Tolerance 7

Technology Index Measure of the region’s innovativeness & size of high-tech producing industries Need a large & diverse high-tech industry for the attraction of the creative class Indicators include: North American Tech-Pole Index total patents the year over year growth in patents for a five year period 8

Talent Index Measure of the number of highly talented/educated/skilled population Indicators include the number post-secondary graduates types of employers types of post-graduate opportunities, 9

Tolerance Index Measure of openness and diversity. Necessary for regions to act as magnets of creative capital Indicators include Bohemian Index – share of regional employment for specific occupations Gay & Lesbian Index- same sex marriages Mosaic Index - % of foreign born population Integration Index – neighbourhood & region racial mix 10

Peterborough Rankings Technology Index 3 rd in Canada, 1 st in Ontario Talent Index 3 rd in Ontario behind Guelph & Kingston Tolerance Index 3 rd in Ontario behind Kingston & Guelph (Ontario’s Small-Sized Regions’ performance on the 3Ts of Economic Development – Martin Prosperity Institute) 11

Tolerance & Diversity Diversity brings great richness and complexity to the culture of a community. Diversity also challenges many established arts and heritage institutions many of which were established in a time of greater homogeneity in cultures and cultural traditions. 12

Tolerance & Diversity Diversity provides great opportunity, but also challenges ensuring equity and access to a diverse community i.e. recent immigrants have high levels of education (23% with a B.A. or higher) but face higher levels of unemployment amongst recent immigrants compared to Canadian born 13

Tolerance & Diversity Tolerance & cultural diversity = Urban cultural strategies that reduce homogenization Enhanced retail offerings & productive diversity Community & neighbourhood pride & safer streets Increasingly diverse populations, experiences, product demand & expenditures 14

MCP Findings for Peterborough Home to a relatively high number of cultural workers as a percentage of the total workforce. Home to the oldest in Ontario (the median age is 42.8), but it is currently the 25 to 34 year-old cohort that is growing the fastest. (Peterborough Census Metropolitan Area) Attracting increased numbers of recent immigrants from larger urban centres such as Toronto, Durham Region, and Ottawa. A significant number of immigrants fall within the 25 to 44 year-old age range at the time of migration and the vast majority have a post-secondary education 15

MCP Findings for Peterborough Home to a vibrant arts, culture, and heritage community, with levels of activity far above those typically found in other communities of its size Peterborough is rich in cultural assets that are unique to it. For a city of its size, Peterborough has had success attracting this young talent to the city Peterborough’s vibrancy and high quality of life are drawing an increasing number of young creative industry workers and professionals to the city 16

MCP and Diversity Peterborough’s MCP must have: a broad and inclusive definition and understanding of culture and heritage values celebrate diverse cultural traditions, forms of expression and cultural heritage. 17

Strategic Direction #6 Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity - partner with a wide array of organizations to promote diversity and facilitate a more inclusive city, continuing to attract and retain newcomers and youth, and continuing to respond to the needs of the changing demographics. 18

Strategic Direction #6 Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity Actively support newcomers through collaboration with community partners Continue membership in, and support of, Peterborough Partnership Council on Immigration and the New Canadian Centre Continue to support the Immigration Portal Continue to support the PPCII in immigrant attraction and retention Continue to ensure that the programming and resources of the PPL mirror the cultural needs of the community

Strategic Direction #6 Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity Celebrate First Nations Maintain ongoing dialogue with First Nations groups Respect First Nations protocols and traditions in City processes Provide support and access to City resources for First Nations events and activities in the city through collaboration with Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre

Strategic Direction #6 Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity Encourage and actively promote involvement by diverse groups (age, ethnic backgrounds, orientation) in existing cultural and city-wide events Review programming for major events to ensure that there are no barriers to involvement Support the active recruitment of board members that represent the diversity of the community

Strategic Direction #6 Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity Encourage and actively promote involvement by diverse groups (age, ethnic backgrounds, orientation) in existing cultural and city-wide events Consider how to incorporate activities at major events that reflect the diversity of the community Continue to support Multi-Cultural Canada Day

Strategic Direction #6 Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity Increase capacity for multi-cultural community gatherings Complete a feasibility study on the potential need for the creation of a multicultural centre – a dedicated, shared space for multi-cultural groups

Strategic Direction #6 Encourage Inclusivity and Facilitate Diversity Improve communication and awareness about a user friendly community calendar that is inclusive of all cultural events Provide multi-cultural meeting space in existing City-owned and managed facilities Bring community calendar onto City servers to improve quality Increase awareness and encourage corporate use of calendar

Ontario in the Creative Age rich natural resource areas wealth of human talent, strong social infrastructure, breadth and depth of higher education unprecedented diversity, generally safe cities and neighbourhoods, thriving creative and cultural industries 25 Roger Martin and Richard Florida. Ontario in the Creative Age: Toward a New Economic Blueprint, 2009

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