Mandate

Mission 

The Service de la culture (SC) plays a leading role in the development and enhancement of the various components that make up the cultural identity of Montréal. By fostering close ties between the various disciplines, the SC makes culture a key driver of the city’s growth.

An essential component of Montréal’s cultural landscape

The SC is responsible for implementing Ville de Montréal’s Cultural Development Policy. Its mission is threefold:

• To strengthen, develop and expand Montréal’s reputation as a cultural metropolis
• To provide professional expertise to senior management, the boroughs and municipal services
• To act as the spokesperson for the city on matters of culture and heritage with cultural communities, public and private partners, and the general public

To achieve optimal results, the SC works in concert with various institutional, private and public partners and is supported by government agreements.

Numerous and widely diverse areas of intervention

• Cultural recreation and amateur performing arts
• Bibliothèques de Montréal
• Accès Culture, the municipal cultural presentation network
• Cultural mediation
• Public arts and artistic heritage
• Ephemeral, built, landscape and archeological heritage
• Toponymy
• Public events
• Cultural festivals and events
• Film and television industry
• Cultural infrastructures and spaces

A clear orientation: placing culture at the heart of Montréal’s future

These few words summarize the general orientation of the 2005–2015 Cultural Development Policy for Montréal, Cultural Metropolis, which serves as the framework within which the SC operates.

Montréal, Cultural Metropolis is an integral part of the city’s main development strategy: to make Montréal a city of knowledge, founded on knowledge acquisition, culture, innovation and economic development. Three major issues form the basis of this policy: accessibility, support for the arts and culture, and the cultural quality of life of Montrealers – along with the affirmation that cooperation is indispensable to success. In this way, Montréal will be well positioned to ensure that its effervescent creative spirit endures.

A genuine commitment: making Montréal a sustainable cultural metropolis

In December 2011, Montréal responded positively to the call by the World Secretariat of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), becoming the first city in the world to adopt an official declaration recognizing culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development. This declaration promotes a two-pronged approach to supporting the cultural sector: strong policies and the integration of culture in all municipal public policies.

Bridging culture and sustainable development has already borne fruit with a number of projects, including:

• Completion of the Quartier des spectacles (entertainment district)
• Construction of new libraries based on LEED Gold standards
• Integration of innovative design practices
• Showcasing the value of heritage
• Support for the amateur performing arts
• Cultural tourism development