Revelstoke city council has approved a new heritage management plan to “safeguard the valued features of Revelstoke and its natural and cultural heritage.”

“The Heritage Advisory Commission is grateful and thankful to Denise Cook, planning staff, the city’s Indigenous liaison Dale Tomma, and the community for their great work on this important document for the present and future," said senior planner Erica Hartling on behalf of commission chair Laurie Lafontaine. 

"The heritage management plan will be an undeniable asset and an important tool for Revelstoke to preserve its heritage and even more.”

According to a news release, the plan represents a commitment by the city, and the wider Revelstoke community, to increase efforts to sustain all aspects of Revelstoke’s heritage as a fundamental part of the city’s future. The plan:

• Provides direction on how events, places, and people in history are acknowledged, and promotes specific narratives that are foundational to the cultural functioning and identity of a people.

• Lays the foundation to adequately involve a more accurate representation of all the voices that make up Revelstoke, in discussions of heritage and policies that lay the groundwork for heritage management.

• Serves to ensure that there is this commitment, energy and effort to safeguard the valued features of Revelstoke, both its natural and cultural heritage, while promoting current best practices in heritage conservation in alignment with community values (identified in the OCP). The plan, a living document funded in part by the Columbia Basin Trust and Heritage BC, is composed of five parts:

1. Community Foundations: An introduction to the Heritage Management Plan and how it can be used as an effective tool for conservation. It outlines a vision for heritage in the city and includes a thematic framework and historical chronology to provide a contextual understanding in support of heritage policy development.

2. People, Culture and City: Identification of the natural and cultural forces that have shaped the community. It summarizes community heritage values and significant places.

3. A Fresh Start: From Vision to Actions: The goals for Revelstoke’s heritage program with outlines of policies and actions for the conservation of heritage in the city.

4. Using the Right Tools: Potential ways for the city to actively support heritage conservation, including identifying processes and policies for revitalizing Revelstoke’s downtown with an analysis of the Revelstoke Station heritage conservation area.

5. Appendices: Supporting documents for the guidance and direction found in the previous four parts of the heritage management plan.

The plan in its entirety can be found here.