Folks -

Below is a message and report received from Mary Baruth, Heritage and
Cultural Adviser for the City of Windsor.  It answers some of the points
raised in previous posts, and for that I thank her.

In the report below you will find references to the Municipal Archives
in section 2(a), 3rd paragraph; section 2(b); and the first and last
paragraphs of section 3.

It would be interesting to know what level of input was received from
Windsor's Municipal Archives itself, the ACA, the AAO's Municipal
Archives Interest Group, or the AAO's Archives Advisor into Windsor's
planning for the future of its archival program.  Was any archivist
included in the consultations with "cultural partners, locally,
provincially and nationally"?

That being said, I would encourage the professional Canadian Archival
Community to watch with interest as developments unfold in Windsor,
Ontario.

I wish Mike, and the City of Windsor the best in resurrecting their
program.

Cheers!

Mark

G. Mark Walsh, C.A.
Records & Information Analyst
Records Management Services
Library of Virginia
(804) 692-3650

-----Original Message-----
From: Baruth, Mary [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 10:49 AM
To: Mark Walsh
Cc: Duben, Michael
Subject: Corporate Cultural Affairs 
Importance: High

Mark, your emails regarding the establishment of the corporate cultural
affairs department have been forwarded to me over the last month, and in
response, I have attached the entire Council report submitted on
November 1st, 2005 which clearly states the municipal archives will form
part of the new department. I have highlighted the sections where the
Municipal Archives and archives in general are mentioned. 

You should know that over the past ten years, the archives and the
museum have been repeatedly offered up by the WPL in response to budget
reductions from the City, which have created a very unstable environment
for heritage staff in general. The last budget separately approved by
Council for the archives was in the late eighties - as a result staffing
and funding of the archives has dropped considerately to a point where
there is no archives budget at all. Moving the museum and the archives
under the City presents an opportunity for capacity building which can
only benefit and enhance the role of the museum and the archives.

As an aside, a council report  regarding the renovation of a municipal
facility for records and archives is pending. I expect it to be going to
Council within the next month. If you have questions regarding this,
please feel free to contact me - there is more going on here in the City
than is reported in newspapers and Council reports. 

Mary E. Baruth
Heritage & Culture Development Advisor
City of Windsor
Phone (519) 255-5466
Fax (519) 255-9538
 <<Report Corporate Cultural Affairs 1.doc>> 


Item No.      
THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF WINDSOR
Client Services 
 	MISSION STATEMENT:
"The City of Windsor, with the involvement of its citizens, will deliver
effective and responsive municipal services, and will mobilize
innovative community partnerships"
Author's Name:  Michael Duben	Date to Council:   November 1, 2005
Author's Phone:  519 253-2300 ext. 6163	Classification #:       Author's
E-mail:  [log in to unmask]


To:	Mayor and Members of City Council	

Subject:    	Corporate Cultural Affairs


1.	RECOMMENDATION: 		City Wide:          Ward(s):


a.	THAT City Council ENDORSE the formal establishment of a
Corporate Cultural Affairs Department as part of Council's ongoing
commitment to arts and culture in our community; and

b.	THAT City Council direct the CAO and the General Manager of
Client Services to PROVIDE leadership and direction to members of
administration who will form the Corporate Cultural Affairs Department;
and

c.	THAT City Council PURSUE the adoption of a Cultural Policy and
Plan to be prepared by the Corporate Cultural Affairs Department for
Council approval prior to December 31, 2005; and

d.	THAT City Council DIRECT the General Manager of Client Services
and other appropriate members of administration to PREPARE a transition
plan for the integration of the Windsor Community Museum into the City
of Windsor organization.

	EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
N/A

2.	BACKGROUND:

a.	Recent Council Direction
In July 2004, under the direction of a new City Council and Chief
Administrative Officer, a Heritage and Culture Development Advisor was
retained to develop a vision and strategy for the delivery of Culture
and Heritage Services.  In November 2004, while the report was in its
final draft stages, City Council made the following resolution:

Council Resolution 1029/2004 states that:
"In accordance with this resolution the Library/City Review Team was
created to investigate the broader issue of whether there are
opportunities for synergies between the City and Library Board."

Much of these discussions centered around the delivery of heritage and
cultural services but also extended to governance and financial control
issues.  Ultimately there have not yet been any definitive
recommendations coming forth from this joint committee save and accept
for a resolution in support of the return of the responsibility for the
storage of municipal archives from the Library back to the City,
provided that an appropriate facility could be secured.  (This will be
the subject of a separate Council Report expected to be presented to
Council on Nov. 7, 2005)

b.	Legislative Matters
Section 11(1) of the recently amended Act identifies the spheres of
jurisdiction for single tier municipalities.  "Culture, parks,
recreation and heritage," are clearly identified as areas which are the
whole responsibility of the municipality.  Furthermore, Section 254 of
the Municipal Act provides that a municipality, "shall retain and
preserve the records of the municipality," and that, "a municipality and
a local board shall ensure that an archivist fulfills the
obligations..."

There is therefore, clear legislative direction that culture and
heritage activities, including record keeping, falls with the
responsibility of the City of Windsor.

c.	Current Status of Culture and Heritage
At present, cultural services within the Corporation are disjointed and
scattered in pockets throughout Administration.  The resources that are
available are under-utilized which has resulted in minimal collaboration
and partnership opportunities and in general, there has been a lack of a
consolidated approach to heritage and cultural services

The feedback received from Louise Morrison, National Program Manager,
Cultural Capitals of Canada, following our failed attempt to obtain a
2004 Cultural Capitals grant was:

"The City provides a lower level of support for the arts and culture
than other similar-sized municipalities.... Windsor may wish to consider
dedicating permanent staff and/or resources for cultural planning."

In many ways, this statement aptly describes the current status of
Heritage and Cultural services.

That state of affairs is further exacerbated by the fact that Windsor's
Community Museum, continues to be managed by the Windsor Public Library
with no input or involvement from those members of the City of Windsor
Administration with cultural and heritage responsibilities and skills.
This arrangement with the Library further hampers the Corporation's
ability to make the best of its cultural resources and it precludes the
Corporation from offering consistent and focused leadership and guidance
to the arts, heritage and cultural community.

3.	DISCUSSION:

Windsor is fortunate to have a rich inheritance of cultural resources,
stories, traditions, sites, documents, built social and natural heritage
features through which our residents retain and develop a sense of who
they are.  Although, cultural resources are irreplaceable, our
appreciation of them can be passed on to countless others and renewed
forever.  City cultural facilities, events, programmes, archives,
museums provide a source of educational and entertainment to people of
all ages and backgrounds.  As well, Cultural facilities and events can
be significant economic drivers to a community and can attract people to
visit and to live in our community.  City leadership both political and
administrative, have an important role in ensuring the planning,
development, coordination, marketing and related needs to connect
cultural services to an overall tourism and economic development
strategy is in place.  

Notwithstanding, the lack of coordination and the absence of a cultural
planning policy, City Administration has played a role in developing
and/or maintaining the following significant cultural services:

*	Mackenzie Hall
*	Willistead Manor
*	Heritage Planning
*	Odette Sculpture Park
*	Chrysler Theatre
*	Postcard from Home/Mural Programme
*	CarTunes
*	Windsor Armouries

Furthermore, we have identified the following five municipal
professional staff persons whose positions are related specifically to
cultural services with many other staff in the Corporation sharing
interconnected duties.
 
1.	Michael Duben, General Manager of Client Services
2.	Mary Baruth, Heritage and Culture Development Advisor
3.	Nancy Morand, Heritage Planner 
4.	Robert Masotti, Manager, Chrysler Theatre
5.	Mary Ellen Scully Mosna, Coordinator of Cultural Programming

It is felt that given the cultural assets that currently exist,
including the Windsor Community Museum and the Municipal Archives, an
effective coordinated approach to the delivery of heritage and cultural
services is within reach.  If these assets and the existing cultural
staff at the City and currently at the Library performing the archive
and museum management functions are realigned, a consolidated Cultural
and Heritage Plan can be developed and implemented with the ultimate
goal of creating another base for economic development in this
community.

4.	FINANCIAL MATTERS:

As a result of the Culture and Heritage study, there are several
recommendations regarding the change of various staff roles, titles and
positions for improved efficiencies in service delivery and in
maximizing the creativity and potential of staff.  No additional funding
will be sought but rather a reallocation of existing dollars through
reallocation and redefinition of staff positions (subject to discussion
with affected staff and their Union locals). Due to the fact that the
2006 budget process is underway, the status quo will be maintained for
the remainder of 2005. It is anticipated that in the spring of 2007, a
budget will be presented to Council for review. 
5.	COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN

The establishment of a Cultural Affairs Department is an opportunity for
the City of Windsor to continue to celebrate culture and heritage while
contributing to an improved image and awareness globally and locally.

6.	CONSULTATIONS:

Consultations were held with the Heritage and Culture Development
Advisor, various City staff, members of City Council, cultural partners,
locally, provincially and nationally, and with representatives of the
provincial and federal government.


7.	CONCLUSION:

The first step towards achieving effective delivery of Heritage and
Culture services is the coordination and centralization of those members
of City Administration and Library Administration currently delivering
Heritage and Cultural services.  The development of a cultural services
team will allow the City of Windsor to capitalize on all available
resources and maximize the potential of staff and volunteer resources.
It is felt that now is the time to develop, strengthen and renew
Council's commitment to cultural services and to capitalize on the
potential of Cultural and Heritage to be a catalyst for economic
development.





Michael Duben
General Manager of Client Services		John Skorobohacz
Chief Administrative Officer



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