Edmonton Heritage Council

Location

Vision

The vision of the Edmonton Heritage Council is of a place where heritage is understood and valued by all members of the community as an integral part of life. Heritage is the legacy of our past, informing our present, and shaping our future.

Mission

The mission of the Edmonton Heritage Council is to support the work of individuals and organizations that: 

•   research, preserve, protect and present Edmonton's unique heritage

• promote an understanding of how this distinct place and community came to be

• engage with the past in planning for the future.

Mandate

The Mandate of the Edmonton Heritage Council is to:

•  provide a forum for analyzing, discussing and sharing heritage issues in Edmonton

• advocate for a vibrant heritage community and heritage programs that benefit all Edmontonians

• unify Edmonton’s heritage community and give it a voice

• promote the awareness and development of effective, informed and recognized heritage principles and practices.

History

The idea of the Edmonton Heritage Council was presented in The Art of Living, the 10-year cultural plan for the City of Edmonton adopted by City Council in August 2008. 

It stated that a heritage council would “provide a clear collective identity and voice for heritage in Edmonton [and] ally heritage with other comparable communities and organizations in the city”, such as the Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Tourism and the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation.

Planning for the EHC began in early 2009, with its first staff hired in April 2009 and a Steering Committee formed to guide the organization towards its founding meeting on November 19^th, 2009.