Maple Ridge council has endorsed a new plan that aims to conserve the city’s unique heritage resources.
The strategic 10-year plan updates the 2013 Heritage Plan, building upon past conservation efforts. It includes evolving community values, shifts in heritage conservation practice and a broadened understanding of the types of heritage resources being conserved, such as language and oral histories.
“This Heritage Plan honours and preserves Maple Ridge’s strong and diverse history with modern initiatives and what our community values,” said Mayor Dan Ruimy. “Thank you to everyone who contributed to the development of the plan and residents who invest their time to preserve and enhance our history and historical assets. While our community’s identity has shifted many times over the last 150 years, this plan connects our past, present, and future to shape our story and enrich our lives now and for generations to come.”
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Development of the Heritage Plan started in 2020 and included a public engagement process in fall of 2021. That feedback formed the foundation of the Heritage Plan’s refreshed vision and five overarching goals and 50 actions. The five goals are:
• Advance reconciliation: By working with local First Nations communities to ensure the conservation of significant First Nations heritage resources. The city commits to nurturing a strong relationship through partnerships and joint initiatives, such as digitization of heritage resources, inclusive wayfinding language, and mapping of significant archaeological sites.
• Celebrate the city’s diverse heritage: The city will collaborate with various groups and organizations to document and conserve heritage resources. Developing new programs and celebrating major community milestones will aim to increase public support, awareness, and interest.
• Enhance heritage management: The plan will enable tools, under provincial legislation, to strengthen the conservation of heritage resources more effectively.
• Support community conservation: The city will assist groups, organizations, and individuals that are conserving heritage resources such as supporting the Maple Ridge Museum and Archives, and implementing a financial heritage grant for private homeowners.
• Support heritage education and awareness: The city will work to increase public support and interest in heritage conservation activities. Actions include exploring the development of a heritage centre, and creating design options in public spaces that reflect period landscapes, such as Edwardian style gardens which are also resilient to climate change.
For more information about the Heritage Plan and list of actions, visit mapleridge.ca/heritageplan.
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