Our vision

An Ontario where we conserve, value and share the places and landscapes, histories, traditions and stories that embody our heritage, now and for future generations.

Our mission

• Demonstrate excellence in the conservation and stewardship of places and landscapes, objects, traditions and stories
• Expand the narrative, spark new conversations, give voice to the diversity of Ontario’s people and places
• Share knowledge and expertise, and foster an understanding of our histories and heritage in everyday life
• Build mutually rewarding relationships with new and current partners

Our values

• Integrated approach to conservation
• Respect and inclusion
• Inspiration and innovation
• Co-operation and collaboration
• Public good

Integrated approach to conservation

• Integrated approach to conservation and stewardship of cultural, natural, tangible and intangible heritage
• The centrality of heritage conservation in the effective stewardship of the environment and in the creation of sustainable and resilient communities
• Landscapes of memory, storytelling, tradition and language as irreplaceable heritage resources of cultural significance

Respect and inclusion

• Inclusive, multifaceted representations of the province’s heritage that reflect our diversity and complexity
• The discovery, knowledge and insight, generated by cultural heritage, which fosters cultural affiliation and reconciliation, and enables us to understand ourselves better

Inspiration and innovation

• The potential of heritage to inspire, stimulate creativity, and motivate us to bequeath knowledge, narratives and histories, and a diverse and authentic cultural environment for future generations

Co-operation and collaboration

• Mutually rewarding relationships with new and current partner organizations
• Create partnerships to build and enhance conservation capacity in communities

Public good

• Holistic, sustainable planning that serves the public good and establishes a sense of place, civic identity and permanence
• Empowering partners and individuals to be conservation leaders in their own communities