(Vancouver, BC) - The Creative City Network of Canada/Réseau des villes créatives du Canada announced in September that Angela Watson, Cultural Development Officer at the City of Fredericton, New Brunswick was elected President of the Board of Directors of the Creative City Network of Canada, at the meeting of the Board of Directors on September 11, 2009.
Ms. Watson succeeds Betty Anne Keller whose two year term as President of the Board ended in September. Ms. Keller will continue to serve on the Executive as Past President. “My service in a leadership role for the board has been such a positive experience – The Board members are extremely passionate and competent people working for Canadian citizens across the country. Together, over the past 2 years we built an amazing consensus decision making group. Thank you all!”.
A national network established in 2002, the Creative City Network of Canada (CCNC) is an organization of municipalities across Canada and the professional staff who are professionals in the field of arts, culture and heritage policy, planning, development and support. Current membership totals 106 Canadian communities, with hundreds of municipal staff accessing resources and services. Member communities are entitled to include all their staff in the network’s services.
Municipalities are playing an increasing role in the development of arts, culture and heritage in Canada. The Creative City Network of Canada exists to connect the people who share this working environment so they can be more effective in cultural development in our communities. By sharing experience, expertise, information and best practices, members support each other through dialogue, both in person and online. The network serves the members in a professional development capacity through key programs and services, delivered by staff in the Vancouver office and supported by the fourteen Directors representing every Region of Canada.
CCNC Programs & Activities:
• Listservs – national and regional for info sharing in the community of practice
• Monthly e-Newsletters with cultural news items from cities in Canada and the world
• Publications & Resources - current research and best practices on cultural planning
• Regional Meetings – for Professional Development and Networking
• Annual Conference – hosted in a different region of Canada each year
In accepting her leadership role for the Board, Ms. Watson commented that, “The CCNC is the essential resource for municipal staff working in the areas of arts, culture, and heritage. From a personal point of view, starting out in a newly created cultural development position four years ago, the Network was the go-to organization for comparative research. It connected me with practitioners in other communities and provided access to information on practices across the country to better determine how to initiate and deliver activities in my community.
Building on the work of Ms. Keller, my role will be to work with the Board to develop the membership, identify strategic initiatives and partnerships, and expand on the relevant tools and resources available to the membership through the website.”
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Creative City Network Board of Directors
President:
Vice President:
Past President:
Treasurer:
Secretary:
Sheila McKinnon, Surrey, British Columbia
Sandra Kochan, Kelowna, British Columbia
Lois Harper, Grande Prairie, Alberta
David Plouffe, Calgary, Alberta
Frances Westlund, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Elena Bird, Toronto, Ontario
Caroline Obeid, Ottawa, Ontario
Michel Jutras, Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Kay Anonsen, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
For more information on the Creative City Network of Canada visit creativecity.ca
Contact Information:
Katherine Clark, General Manager, info@creativecity.ca, (604) 688-2489
Angela Watson, President, angela.watson@
