City Moves Forward on Master Plan for Arts and Culture

While Mississauga boasts a pretty vibrant art scene, it looks like the city is interested in boosting it further.

Recently, Mississauga city council committed to a "deeper investment and focus on the city's arts and culture community through the creation of a new steering committee."

As for how it will work, the city says the new committee will work with Culture Division staff and members of the city's arts and culture community to draft a Culture Master Plan. The Master Plan should be completed by the middle of next year.

"The Arts, Culture and Heritage Steering Committee will help us champion the arts community and identify additional culture opportunities in Mississauga," said Paul Damaso, Director, Culture Division. "We are focussed on enhancing culture in the city and look forward to the valuable input of this new group as we build our new Culture Master Plan."

While everything currently sounds very technical and bureaucratic, the news is exciting. During the 2014 election, candidates discussed proposed strategies for elevating the city's arts and culture scene and Mayor Bonnie Crombie was enthusiastic about dedicating appropriate resources to the city's growing arts community.

Although this plan is in its infancy, it does appear that the city is moving forward on the arts front—it even recently made changes to its grant programs.

"The City is committed to improving the diversity, quality and accessibility of all our cultural offerings," added Damaso. "Our focus continues to be providing the residents of and visitors to Mississauga with a superior cultural experience."