The mandate of the Minto Cultural Roundtable is to give guidance and input related to culture and to implement the Cultural Plan for Minto.

The Cultural Roundtable does this by:

• Supporting community led solutions to issues identified by the Cultural Roundtable or the community at large.
• Encouraging leadership and innovation.
• Facilitating networking and information exchange.
• Serving as a sounding board for ideas and actions.
• Reviewing policies related to culture.
• Supporting the integration of cultural development plans into related Town plans (i.e. Official Plan and Strategic Plan)

The Minto Cultural Roundtable is made up of 16 people representing the following groups/organizations:

• Town of Minto Council
• Minto Arts Council
• Grey Wellington Theatre Guild or the Norgan Theatre Board
• Minto’s Heritage Groups (Clifford Historical Society, Harriston Historical Society, Palmerston Railway Heritage Museum, Minto Heritage Association)
• Harriston-Minto or Palmerston Agricultural Societies
• Minto Chamber of Commerce
• Minto Branches of the Wellington County Library
• Youth (Age 15 – 24)
• Four to Seven members of the public

Staff Resources:

• Director of Economic & Community Development
• Marketing & Community Development Coordinator
• Treasurer

The Minto Cultural Roundtable is seeking diverse members of the community interested in sharing their voice to volunteer on the new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) sub-committee. The committee will work with the Town of Minto on matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure Minto lives up to its commitment to be a welcoming and inclusive rural community.

Terms of Reference

To the greatest extent possible, members from the community will represent a broad range of under-served and equity seeking groups such as but not limited to:

• Indigenous peoples
• LGBTQ2S+
• Newcomers, new Canadians
• Persons living in poverty
• Persons with disabilities
• Racialized people, people of diverse ethnic or cultural origin
• Seniors
• Women
• Youth
• 3-5 Community Members working in allyship 
• The Director of Economic & Community Development and the Marketing and Community Development Coordinator or their designates will attend all meetings.  

Please complete this application by January 30th, 2023 at 12:00pm to be considered as a member of the committee. We ask that you review the above Terms of Reference prior to completing your application.

Apply Here

Minto Pride was founded in 2019 as a sub-committee of the Cultural Roundtable.

Run by a small group of volunteers, Minto Pride encourages inclusion, and increases visibility, of the LGBTQ2S+ community in the Town of Minto, while promoting education on the diversity of gender, sex and sexual identity.

Harriston, Palmerston, and Clifford are diverse and growing communities in Minto. We strive to bring people from a variety of walks of life together to create a shared society where there is room to learn from, socialize with, and get to know each other.

We celebrate Pride by holding events and advocating for the LGBTQ2S+ community. Past events have included our annual Pride in Park event in June, Drag nights, Socials, Trivia nights, and more.

Since the creation of our group we've successfully advocated for the Pride flag to be flown at Town Hall during June, a presentation to Council on the importance of Pride, as well as the approval for a rainbow crosswalk in Harriston.

These are small steps on the rural road of equity that lead to making Minto a place where all families want to belong.

Do you want to stay up to date on our events and happenings? Get in contact, or simply show your support? You can find us on Facebook and Instagram @mintopride, or email us at mintopridecommitte@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events:

• May 15th from 1:00pm - 3:00pm: Big Gay Hike - White's Junction Trail 
• June 12th from 12:00pm - 2:00pm: Pride in the Park

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 _{^{Photo Credits: The Wellington Advertiser}}

April 25th  - 29th is Volunteer Appreciation Week and we want to take a minute to say T H A N K   Y O U to all our incredible volunteers in Minto.

Read below to find out a bit more about a few of the members of the Minto Cultural Roundtable.

Peggy Raftis - Committee Chair

"Being on the [Minto Cultural Roundtable] committee gives you a voice on things that happen in the community but also allows you to learn from and connect with others on important issues that are bigger than just Minto. It is very rewarding to know you have been part of something that has made a difference."

Why did you decide to join Minto's Cultural Roundtable?

"I am a great supporter of Arts and Culture and I felt it was a great initiative and  important to the community.  Also, I thought it would be a fun way to meet and work with people that care about similar things."

What is your favourite event or activity to plan as a member of your committee?

"Culture Days because its hands-on and the Solidarity March because its important."

What do you find valuable about this experience?

"Being on the committee gives you a voice on things that happen in the community but also allows you to learn from and connect with others on important issues that are bigger than just Minto. It is very rewarding to know you have been part of something that has made a difference."

Is there anything else you would like to share with someone who is considering volunteering in Minto?

"Volunteering is a great way to make friends, learn knew things and share from your own experiences. Getting involved in your community can only make it a better place to live and you get the satisfaction of being part of something important."

Megan Raftis - Committee Member

"The great thing about volunteering in Minto is you often get to see and feel the immediate impact of the good you're doing in the community because the people attending events and sitting on committees with you are your friends and neighbours. Nothing makes me feel more connected and at home in Minto then volunteering here." ~ Megan Raftis

Megan wears many hats in the community, from Adult Ally for Minto Youth Action Council, member of the Grey Wellington Theatre Guild and co-founder of their Summer Youth Theatre program, and enthusiastic volunteer for various other events and activities!

Minto's Cultural Roundtable is lucky enough to have Megan share her knowledge and experience with our committee! We asked Megan about her experience on this committee and this is what she has to say.

Why did you decide to join your committee?

"I joined the Cultural Roundtable because the way it works to tie together and cross promote the already existing groups in Minto really appealed to me. There's more than most people realize happening in Minto and it's really good to have a committee focused on strengthening the relationships between those groups."

What is your favourite event or activity to plan as a member of your committee?

"My favorite event (or series of events!) Is Culture Days. There's always so much going on and you get to see a lot of people out and about who don't necessarily come around to other events. I also love working with MYAC for similar reasons - there's always something going on with the youth and it's amazing to be a part of that!"

What is the best part of being on this committee?

"It's great to be able to sit at a table with other dedicated volunteers and get a bit of insight into what's happening in the community outside my sphere!"