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Cultural Plan Greater Vernon

In 2014, CitySpaces, working in collaboration with Kari Huhtala + Associates, was hired by the Regional District of North Okanagan to assist in the preparation of a Cultural Plan for Greater Vernon.

The purpose of the Cultural Plan for Greater Vernon is to:
-Articulate a sustainable, authentic, long-term vision for cultural vitality in Greater Vernon
-Identify possibilities for connections and partnerships between and among cultural organizations and other stakeholders
-Present opportunities for collaboration among the Regional District of North Okanagan, the City of Vernon and the District of Coldstream
-Provide policy directions, as well as considerations for Plan implementation.

Working extensively with the community, the Plan helped articulate how culture can have a positive impact on quality of life and provide economic benefits.

The Cultural Plan was developed with ongoing input and over-sight from the RDNO Cultural Services staff, the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee (GVAC), and a project Steering Committee – a twenty-four member body representing the cultural sector, business community, and the RDNO. Beginning in June 2014, both these groups met five times – roughly once a month. Through this process, the groups were able to help identify key issues and opportunities, and develop a vision and guiding principles, as well as draft policy directions.

The Cultural Plan was also informed by extensive input from the public. Over the course of the project, RDNO Community Development Coordinator attended, along with members of the Steering Team, eleven separate public events in Greater Vernon with a pop-up Cultural Plan display and information booth and interactive feedback poster board. This highly effective form of direct outreach helped raise the profile of the Plan in the community and generated hundreds of individual comments on cultural issues and opportunities. This direct outreach was supplemented by a questionnaire which was placed in the Greater Vernon Parks and Leisure Guide, and an online questionnaire which was available on the RDNO website.

The Plan Policy Directions was endorsed by the Regional District of North Okanagan in December of 2014, with the adoption of the Plan expected for the summer of 2015.