Ottawa's next Municipal Culture Plan

As part of the cultural mapping work supporting the Next Municipal Culture Plan, the second of three cultural data sets has been published on Open Ottawa. It follows the Cultural Groups and Organizations Inventory published earlier this year and the upcoming Artist/Creator Inventory. Together, these datasets offer a detailed snapshot of the people, places, and practices shaping cultural life in Ottawa, serving as a valuable resource for cultural leaders, researchers, planners, and residents alike.

Available in both English and French, this dataset features more than 800 cultural places and spaces and brings together information about the physical places that make up Ottawa’s cultural landscape. Places are organized into broad categories such as venues, studios, heritage, community and learning spaces, with additional subcategories and tags providing more detail about each location. 

This is an evolving cultural spaces inventory, and the data will continue to be refined and expanded. 

Explore Open Ottawa: https://open.ottawa.ca/

As part of the development of Ottawa’s new Municipal Culture Plan, the City of Ottawa engaged with Anishinabe Algonquin Nation Elders, Knowledge Keepers, representatives, community members, and youth to learn about their cultural perspectives, priorities, and needs. As Ottawa’s Host Nation, the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation has a distinct and essential role in shaping the Plan.

Engagement took place between November 2025 and May 2026 through 10 interviews, an Elder session with eight participants, and written responses from five youth. Participants represented Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, Wolf Lake First Nation, and Timiskaming First Nation.

For more information on our Host Nation engagements, please contact Natalí Zúñiga at Natali.Zuniga@Ottawa.ca

Future Paths Network was one of several community partners that contributed to the development of Ottawa’s next Municipal Culture Plan. Through its work supporting Black youth and strengthening community connections, the organization brought valuable perspectives to the engagement process.

The organization participated as part of the City-wide engagement process that took place across Ottawa’s urban, suburban, and rural communities helping the Culture Plan team reach over 12,000 residents.

Future Paths Network helped share insights on youth engagement, inclusion, community leadership, belonging, and access to cultural opportunities. Their participation helped ensure that the experiences and aspirations of young people and underrepresented communities were reflected in conversations about Ottawa’s cultural future.

By leveraging trusted community relationships and creating opportunities for residents to share their experiences in familiar environments, Future Paths Network helped broaden participation and strengthen the diversity of voices represented in the Culture Plan. Their contributions are helping shape a plan that supports cultural participation, celebrates diversity, and builds stronger community connections across Ottawa.

Learn more: Future Paths Network

This summer, Mahad Hussein joined the Cultural Development and Initiatives team through the Youth Futures program, providing administrative and communications support for Ottawa’s Next Municipal Culture Plan.

Youth Futures is a six-month bilingual program that supports Ottawa youth ages 16 to 21 from low-income and social housing communities. Through leadership development, mentorship, post-secondary orientation and paid work experience, the program helps young people build skills and prepare for future education and employment. It is delivered in partnership by the City of Ottawa, BGC Ottawa and the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation.

During his placement, Mahad helped create newsletters, organize information, and support day-to-day activities connected to the Culture Plan. His work contributed to the team’s ongoing efforts to share information and keep the project moving forward.

Mahad brought a positive attitude, strong work ethics, and willingness to learn everything he took on. He quickly became a valued member of the team.

Thank you, Mahad, for your contributions this summer, and all the best in what comes next.

As work continues on Ottawa’s next Municipal Culture Plan, pop-up roadshows have played an important role in helping the project team connect directly with residents across the city. By bringing engagement opportunities into communities, the team has been able to hear from a wide range of people about their experiences, ideas, and aspirations for Ottawa’s cultural future.

The roadshows reached communities in all 24 wards, connecting with residents in urban, suburban, and rural areas. From downtown public spaces and community events to neighbourhood hubs in Barrhaven and Orléans, and gathering places in communities such as Carp, Metcalfe, and Osgoode, each stop created opportunities for meaningful conversations about culture in Ottawa.

These informal, face-to-face discussions helped make engagement more accessible and welcoming. Rather than asking residents to come to City-led consultations, the project team met people where they already gather, making it easier for more voices to be heard. Participants shared what culture means to them, what makes their communities unique, and what they would like to see supported in the future.

The feedback gathered through these roadshows is helping shape the next phase of work on Ottawa’s Municipal Culture Plan. By connecting with residents in every part of the city, the project team is building a broader understanding of the needs, strengths, and opportunities that exist across Ottawa’s diverse communities.