General Information
Dates and Venues:
January 31st and February 1st: National Capital Commission – Urbanism Lab
February 2: Ottawa City Hall, Champlain and City Council chambers
Registration Process:
There is no fee to attend: to register, you simply need to email secretariat@ccco-occ.ca
Upon registration, you will receive confirmation and regular updates.
Program


2023 Winter Meeting
January 31 - February 2, 2023
Tuesday, January 31, 2023: National Capital Commission - Urbanism Lab
- Welcome by CCCO President
- Greetings by National Capital Commission
- Introduction of Delegates
Claudette Commanda, Chief Executive Officer, First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres, Chancellor University of Ottawa
Claudette Commanda will provide insights, from an Algonquin perspective and knowledge, on building relationships with Indigenous communities in ensuring stewardship of ancestral traditions.
9:00 am - 9:30 amPlanning the Core of Canada’s Capital
- Patrick Bunting, Senior Planner, Urban Design, Long Range Planning, Capital Planning Branch, NCC
- Monica Belliveau, Planner, Plans and Policies, Long Range Planning, Capital Planning Branch, NCC
The NCC has embarked on a review and rewrite of the Core Area Sector Plan (2005). This is a preeminent plan that guides the use and development of the most symbolic lands in the Capital, in keeping with the overarching Plan for Canada’s Capital, 2017–2067 (2017). The presentation will provide an overview of the planning context, the key themes, and areas of further exploration for the new Core Area Plan.
9:30 am - 10:15 am12:30PM - New pressures on Heritage in Cities
- Natalie Bull, Executive Director, National Trust of Canada
At a time when climate pressures, economic challenges and reconciliation really need to be front and centre in our communities, where does heritage conservation fit in? Evolving circumstances and new pressures are forcing important conversations and debate about heritage in cities and towns across the country. Natalie will speak about the Heritage Reset, a movement to promote a renewed focus on what matters to cities and citizens now – and share other National Trust programs of interest to Capital Cities.
1:30PM - Urban Destination Stewardship and Transformative Tourism
- Gracen Chungath, Senior Vice-President, Destination Development, Destination Canada
This session will explore the process and implementation strategies of destination development to improve a particular location as a tourism destination. It will touch on improving infrastructure, promoting the destination to potential visitors, and developing attractions and events that draw tourists. Gracen will talk about urban destination stewardship, which focuses on preserving and enhancing a city's or urban area's unique character and identity as a tourism destination. She will also speak to the underlying premise of transformative tourism that aims to create and contribute to positive social, cultural, and economic impacts on the destination community.
12:30 pm - 2:30 pmWednesday, February 1, 2023: National Capital Commission - Urbanism Lab
9:00 AM - Municipal cultural planning as a tool for economic and social development in cities
- Michael Tunney, President – Creative City Network of Canada (Manager, Cultural Planning, City of Mississauga, Ontario)
Michael Tunney will showcase examples of adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, development of cultural districts, public art and place making, and discuss the role of a robust cultural planning program and policy in advancing culture as a social and economic driver. Joined by CCNC staff Kate Littlejohn and Board Member Ben Dick (City of Ottawa), they will share the work that CCNC is doing to support cultural development in capital cities, such as the Culture Statistics Strategy, which compiles invaluable data on culture’s economic impacts within Canada.
10:00 AM - Panel discussion on Cultural Policy Planning
Josée Bellemare, Directrices des arts, de la culture et des lettres, Ville de Gatineau, QC . Ben Dick, City of Ottawa and Ben Macintosh, City of Toronto will join Michael Tunney for a discussion, with delegates on policy planning …leading to practical achievements.
Julia Bresee, Manager of the National Urban Parks
On August 4th 2021, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada launched a new program to support the creation of a network of national urban parks. This program is the next step for Parks Canada, building on over 110 years of history in the creation of national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas, as well as Canada’s first national urban park, the Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto. A member of the Parks Canada national urban parks team will present an overview of work to date and next steps for the program.
10:45 am - 11:30 amParticipating delegates present a recent achievement, challenge, innovation from their city or organization.
Today’s presentations will be:
- Resilient St. John’s Climate Action
- Victoria’s Witness Reconciliation Program
- 2023 Wascana Centre Master Plan Review and Renewal
Brainstorming on Potential Projects and Future Activities
12:15 pm - 1:15 pmThursday, February 2, 2023: Ottawa City Hall, Council Chambers
9:00 AM Presentation by the City of Ottawa
9:45 AM Capital Cities Presentations: Participating delegates present a recent achievement, challenge, innovation from their city or organization.
Today’s presentations will be:
- Fredericton: Community inclusion in the Capital
- Legislative Assembly of Alberta: Unlocking Education - Virtual Learning Made Possible
- Regina, Saskatchewan: Building a healthy accessible city
Melissa St-Onge, Manager Heritage Designations Programs, Parks Canada
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada provides recommendations to Minister for designations of nationally significant historic places, persons and events in Canada. Melissa St-Onge will provide information about its priorities for commemoration and process to designates places, persons and events.
10:45 am- Governance, Financial, Membership, Activities Reports
- Executive Committee Elections
- Approval of 2023 Annual Conference venue
Networking luncheon
Closing Keynote Speaker
Cities for the Global Good
David Schimpky, Director of Secretariat, Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Within the context of the challenges for cultural heritage conservation, reconciliation and sustainable development, the keynote speech will focus on the collaboration of cities in the face of these global concerns.
12:15 pm - 1:30 pmAccommodations
Reservations can be made by:
Online booking link, Tel: 613-235-3333 at house reservations or Email at groups@lordelgin.ca.
Located a few blocks (about 300 metres) from the NCC offices and City Hall.
For more information on where to stay and what to do, please visit Tourism Ottawa and Outaouais Tourism.
Plan to stay over as 2023 Winterlude will be opening on Friday, February 3rd.