Commemorations guidelines

Commemorations requests are administered in accordance with the Kingston Commemorations Policy (see below) and must meet one or more of the following requirements:

• the subject proposed must have relevance to the Kingston area or to communities in Kingston;
• an individual will only be considered for Commemoration at least ten years after their death;
• a group or organization will only be considered for Commemoration at least ten years after it has been established;
• an idea or event will only be considered for Commemoration at least ten years after its conclusion;
• must not duplicate the themes or subject matter of an existing commemorative site;
• should recognize collective military efforts rather than individuals and in the case of international conflicts, only those sanctioned by the Government of Canada shall be considered;

Commemorations requests shall:

• be automatically disqualified when the subject denigrates ideological, religious or other beliefs; promotes hate; is contrary to any law; or is a Corporate Sponsorship;
• not normally include a subject that commemorates a natural disaster
• strive to achieve balance in relation to Commemorations acknowledging that certain thematic areas are underrepresented, such as First Peoples; Ethno-cultural communities; Francophone and Women;
• address geographic and thematic gaps identified in the Kingston Commemorations Strategy;
• engage and connect all of Kingston, including youth, through a range of stories and experiences;
• provide opportunities for celebration, reflection, discovery, dialogue and critique;
• honour important achievements and aspirations, discuss uncomfortable truths and build appreciation for the diverse stories about Kingston's past; and
• be considered in future redevelopment of civic spaces.

The Kingston Commemorations Strategy and Policy

The Kingston Commemorations Strategy (approved in 2015) establishes protocols and decision-making processes  to work with community members to foster a multi-faceted dialogue on people, places, events and ideas with significance to Kingston's heritage through commemorations. The 10-year strategy covers includes all forms of commemoration on City -owned property or requiring City approvals.

Purpose of policy

The Kingston Commemoration Policy (approved 2017) implements the Kingston Commemoration Strategy. The purpose of the policy is:

• To implement a cohesive, overall vision for commemorations
• To coordinate all existing City commemoration policies
• To establish a transparent, streamlined decision-making process for commemoration proposals
• To improve customer service through the Heritage Resource Centre and new City web portal
• To clarify roles for management of City's commemorative collections

Vision

The Kingston Commemoration Strategy provides a vision of how commemorations can support a greater understanding of Kingston's many stories. Commemorations in a variety of forms in City spaces throughout Kingston will be used to: honour important achievements and aspirations; discuss uncomfortable truths; and build appreciation of the diverse stories that make up Kingston's past generations.

Definition

• A commemoration is an intentional act of acknowledging the memory of people, places, events and ideas
• Commemorations can be public or private, national or local, tangible or intangible, monumental or modest in scale, permanent or temporary

Guiding Principles of the Strategy

• Commemorations shall be realized in a range of forms and together they should provide opportunities for celebration, reflection, discovery, dialogue and critique.
• All of Kingston is reflected in the range of commemorations in City spaces.
• Everyone in Kingston, including the city's youth, are engaged and connected to Kingston's stories through their experience of the range of commemorations in City spaces.
• The City shall recognize collective commemorative impulses and shall be flexible and responsive to communities' spontaneous temporary commemorations in public spaces.