YORKTON - Work continued last week toward an update of the City of Yorkton’s culture policy.
The latest step saw Prairie Wild Consulting – the company the city has engaged to create a new draft of a community cultural plan – held a planning open house at the Yorkton Public Library Thursday.
While the open house was sparsely attended, Samantha Mark, senior manager of regional and community planning with the consulting firm said it was only one of several community engagements which have been held to get community input of revitalizing the city’s Cultural Plan.
In fact the process actually began in 2020, but of course was delayed when the COVID pandemic struck, said Mark.
Mark said Yorkton “was one of the first in Saskatchewan” to create a Cultural Plan, but added that was back in 2009 so the city deemed it timely to do a refresh.
“It’s recognizing changes in the city in terms of culture . . . over the years,” she said.
With some 15 years since it’s creation, the community the Cultural Plan represents has changed through things simply because the community has grown, and that has meant changes in the culture of residents.
“There’s more diversity in terms of the make-up (of the city),” because of newcomers with diverse cultural backgrounds, offered Mark.
The changes might mean a need to enhance certain aspects of the old plan, or might offer new opportunities to add to it, said Mark.
Part of the process now being undertaken is to help how the changes define culture today in the city, said Mark.
The work toward a new draft plan is nearing completion, and Mark said they expect to present to Yorkton Council in March.
