A digital platform will help put North Simcoe heritage and cultural asset sites on the map.
Two Stantec consultants presented the project to Midland Heritage Committee at a recent meeting. The project, which is called Culture Alliance in the Heart of Georgian Bay Cultural Asset Database and Map Project or The Map, is being produced by the Culture Alliance using a Trillium Grant.
"As part of the first outreach, we're reaching to municipal heritage committees as the nose to the ground folks," Meaghan Rivard, senior heritage consultant with Stantec. "We will have a soft launch in a few weeks."
The project, she said, was originally envisioned as a gathering space where people could come together.
"We would (have to) collect all this information in person," added Rivard. "We're not doing that anymore, instead we're trying to do outreach virtually."
The online tool, she explained, will be used to pinpoint locations indicating sites of interest, such as cemeteries, plaques, museums, public art, and community events.
Currently, Rivard said, once the database goes live, local residents and the Culture Alliance will be able to add new locations on the go.
"The new information will be vetted before it becomes publicly available," she added. "The goal is to be able to leverage the truly diverse and incredible heritage resources in the area."
Committee member Kathryn Battrick asked how people in the area would be able to find the database and how it would be maintained.
"Is it up to the committees and people in the municipalities or does your company update it on an ongoing basis?" she asked.
Rivard said the database would be posted on the Culture Alliance website for all to see and access while maintenance would involve year-end check ins with Stantec.
Karen Mealing, the town's cultural development coordinator, explained that a hard copy of the database will be backed up on one of the municipal servers.
"Our goal would be to hire a summer staff who would come in and make sure all the information on the database is correct and accurate," she added.
Town planning manager Kandas Bondarchuk asked if there would be an opportunity for people to leave voice notes on the mapping.
Frank Smith, Rivard's colleague, said the company has considered that option.
"There was a previous conversation about capturing intangible heritage," he said. "We were looking at a category of folklore and heritage where people would be able to add things that are important to them."
Bondarchuk said this would be a great opportunity to build and foster opportunities with municipal planning departments.
"I'm thinking in terms of when we require archeological plans," she said. "We need to be communicating that information through this portal when a protected site has been identified."
