Gananoque Cultural Plan

This small town at the western gateway to the 1000 Islands was once a manufacturing powerhouse but has suffered from the loss of industry and changes in tourism markets. The purpose of the cultural plan was to place the community in a position to benefit from its special character and support a transition to a more sustainable local economy. Bray Heritage led a team of cultural planners, economic development and policy planning firms that was awarded the contract to identify the range of cultural resources available in the community and evaluate their potential for enhancing tourism and other forms of economic activity. The firm then prepared strategies for realizing economic benefit from cultural tourism – a growing segment of the global tourism market – that would galvanize partnerships between local community groups, businesses and institutions. An important aspect of research for the project was the preparation of a thematic history of the town’s development from which components of the strategies could be generated (for example, a long tradition of local business start-ups in former industrial buildings, and many instances of public projects sponsored by local philanthropists). The Plan also showed the importance of local history and of conservation of heritage buildings and landscapes, aspects of local character that had been forgotten or ignored for much of the last half-century. By highlighting these characteristics, a major outcome of the Plan was to strengthen the local creative cultural sector. Since the Plan’s adoption by Council in 2011, the Town has secured a key partnership with an international antique boat museum, enhanced its working relationship with the Thousand Islands Playhouse, and marketed its image successfully, resulting in several new waterfront housing developments that renovate former industrial properties.