JASON SETNYK
Cornwall City Council has endorsed the next step in a long-discussed vision for arts and culture, receiving the presentation on Cornwall’s Creative Canvas and directing administration to return with an implementation plan. The strategy, presented by consultants from The Planning Partnership and TCI Management Consultants, lays out a five-year framework for municipal facilities, arts organizations, festivals, networking, arts instruction, and public art.
The plan argues that arts and culture are already a significant part of the local economy. The sector in Cornwall and SDG supports an estimated 1,730 jobs and generates $162 million in annual GDP, while cultural tourists add another $17 million to local GDP. It also points to extensive consultation behind the document, including workshops, surveys, one-on-one interviews, and outreach to interest groups.
Consultant Donna Hinde said the public feedback was consistent throughout the process. “People talked regularly about the sense of place,” she told council. They also spoke about “the diversity and Cornwall being an inclusive place,” the need for “sustainable funding,” and a desire to move away from “fragmented efforts” toward a coordinated plan. Hinde added that many residents and groups also raised the need for a “signature attraction” that could elevate Cornwall’s cultural profile. That thinking is reflected in the strategy’s vision of Cornwall as “a vibrant, diverse, and progressive city where arts and culture empower community identity, celebrate local heritage, inspire creativity, and foster inclusion and pride.”
Among the recommendations is to ensure regular events and programming at the new Arts and Culture Centre, ensuring community access to it, exploring a permanent operating model for Cline House, continuing support for Aultsville Theatre, considering a downtown cultural district, creating an arts innovation fund, and developing a cultural tourism plan. On the public art side, the plan recommends a one per cent-for-public-art policy, a dedicated annual public art fund of $50,000, a public art specialist position, a public art advisory committee, and an inventory and GIS map of existing works. The proposed timeline runs from launching the Arts and Culture Centre and building foundations in year one, to a signature event pilot in year three and a cultural tourism strategy in year four.
Councillor Carilyne Hébert welcomed the report, saying Cornwall has “an incredible arts and culture scene” and that while the city has long embraced “our hockey and sports culture, and rightly so,” arts and culture are “just as important to who we are.” Still, she warned that the challenge will be staying committed after the excitement of the presentation fades. “We often fall short of sustaining them,” she said of city plans in general. “We might fund it in the first year, but then budgets get tight, as they do every single year, priorities shift, and plans like this slowly take a backseat.” Hébert said she was encouraged by the document’s references to a dedicated public art fund and ongoing investment, but stressed that without sustained support, “this risks becoming another plan that’s going to sit on my lovely shelf at home.” She also argued public art can contribute to safety by activating spaces, creating pride, and helping build “safer communities, more vibrant communities, more connected communities.”
Councillor Elaine MacDonald was far more optimistic about follow-through, saying this effort differs from past arts planning because the City itself commissioned and funded it. “This is the city’s report,” she said. “The city paid for this. The city ordered it, and the city participated.” MacDonald praised the consultants for what she called a comprehensive document that reaches beyond sculptures and murals, saying the strategy had captured “the heart of the community” and “the public civic state of the city.”
Councillor Todd Bennett said the economic arguments in the report echoed points he has been making for years in budget discussions. He backed the proposal for a dedicated public art fund and suggested council may want to consider a restricted reserve “that money is only used for arts and culture projects.” Bennett also said Cornwall’s cultural activity remains under-promoted. “People say there’s nothing to do in Cornwall. Well, there is, and like almost every night,” he said. “It’s hard to find.” He called the arts scene “the best kept secret” and said the city needs to stop making it “such a secret.”
Questions from councillors also drilled into how the strategy would work in practice. Councillor Fred Ngoundjo asked whether dedicated staff would be needed to implement the plan and how the French language and Akwesasne culture could be better reflected. Consultants pointed to Cornwall’s bilingual community and “deep cultural relationship with Akwesasne” as core strengths, while public art specialist Jane Perdue said text, language, and competition criteria could all be used to ensure French is visibly included in future projects. The consultants also encouraged stronger collaboration with Akwesasne arts and culture groups.
Council also explored the cost implications. Councillor Dean Hollingsworth questioned how a one per cent-for-public-art model would apply, and Perdue clarified that it would be tied only to the budget of a specific capital project, not the city’s full annual capital budget. Later, Councillor Sarah Good asked about using community benefits charges to support art, with staff explaining that such a tool would apply only in specific planning circumstances, such as larger developments. Good said council ultimately has to show commitment “when it comes down to dollars and cents,” calling art “fundamental and quintessential to what makes us humans.”
Mayor Justin Towndale, while generally supportive, also flagged details he wants clarified in the next report, including some gaps or inconsistencies in how festivals and existing city support were reflected. Still, council voted to receive the presentation, and then voted again to accept the report and direct administration to prepare an implementation plan.
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