The City of Kamloops initiated the review and update of its Cultural Strategic Plan in fall 2022 to provide a blueprint for cultural development in Kamloops over the next 10 years. The draft plan was published online in November 2023 to ensure it was available to the public for a reasonable period of time before requesting feedback.

Residents are now invited to complete a feedback form to indicate their level of support for the six strategic directions and supporting actions of the draft You Are Here Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan 2024–2034. The feedback form will be available until 8:00 am on February 26, 2024.

The planning process for the Cultural Strategic Plan included robust engagement and cultural mapping activities, in partnership with the Thompson Rivers University Research-in-Residence program, which resulted in over 2,000 sources of individual input. These activities created a space for meaningful, community-engaged research to create a shared vision for Kamloops’ cultural fabric as well as high-level priorities and directions to inform the plan’s strategic directions, objectives, goals, and supporting actions.

While already informed by extensive consultation, the feedback form is important to the project team to ensure that the final plan presented to Council for adoption in early spring resonates with residents and is supported as a long-term plan for our community.

The draft plan outlines six strategic directions that were developed through extensive engagement with residents, engagement groups, and community partners:

• Strengthen tourism, social, and economic impacts through cultural development
• Improve arts infrastructure and invest in cultural capital
• Attract and support cultural workers and creative entrepreneurs
• Reduce barriers to arts access and cultural participation
• Celebrate and share stories of this place
• Animate spaces through creative placemaking

By creating this strategic plan, the City continues to support our vital cultural resources and better identify cultural assets to meet the needs of a growing community.

To review the draft plan and provide feedback, visit LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/CulturalPlan.