Government and Advocacy within Social Purpose Real Estate

Join Kendra Fry and panellists David Maggs, Janis Monture, and Patti Pon for a practical conversation on advancing cultural infrastructure and creating sustainable spaces for arts and culture. Together, they will examine how arts leaders can strengthen their advocacy at the municipal and provincial levels and make the case for cultural spaces as essential public infrastructure.

The discussion will explore strategies for building meaningful partnerships across sectors, connecting arts and cultural priorities with broader community goals, and identifying opportunities within current planning and policy environments. Participants will gain practical insights into how they can position their organizations and spaces within larger conversations about community development, infrastructure, and public investment.

Whether you are navigating a current space challenge or looking to build a stronger case for future investment, this session will offer tools and perspectives to help move cultural space priorities forward.

About the Presenters

Kendra Fry – Facilitator

Kendra Fry has a long career in the arts mostly as a General Manager in theatre before beginning her work creating multi sectoral community hubs for the common good. Working with partners from across Canada Kendra unlocks the hidden value in historic building sites, creating broad cross-sectoral community centres that involve the arts, housing, food security, education and many other not for profit organizations. Some of her better- known sites include Carlton University at Dominion Chalmers, Metropolitan United in London Ontario and Trinity St. Paul’s Centre in Toronto.

In addition to her efforts in the arts and heritage repurposing, Kendra works with municipalities on affordable housing and transformational approaches to new density. Kendra is the Transformation Lead for the Centre for Cities (University of Windsor) and Lakeshore, ON, working on affordable housing, placemaking and infrastructure transformation for this newly dense region.

David Maggs – Panellist

David Maggs carries on an active career as an interdisciplinary artist and academic researcher focused on arts, cultural policy, climate change, and sustainability. Following the publication of Art and the World After This (2022), David became the inaugural Fellow on Art and Society at the Metcalf Foundation where he works on issues of cultural policy and revitalization. In collaboration with the UK’s Policy and Evidence Centre for the Creative Industries, he co-authored Impact Investing in the Cultural and Creative Sectors: Insights from an emerging field on groundbreaking work on impact investing in cultural and creative industries. He is co-leading the development of Arts & Social Finance, an impact fund dedicated to capacity-building and financing for Canada’s cultural sector.

Janis Monture – Panellist

Janis Kahentóktha Bomberry is Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River. She is the principal owner of Curate6 Consulting and has held several prominent leadership roles in the cultural and museum sectors. From 2023–2026, she served as the Executive Director and CEO of the Canadian Museums Association. Before that, she returned as Executive Director of the Woodland Cultural Centre, one of the largest First Nations–run cultural centres in Canada. She also previously served as Director of Tourism and Cultural Initiatives for the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation.

Janis holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Western Ontario and a Museum Studies diploma from Algonquin College. She remains active in her community through volunteer work in Six Nations and Brantford and is a recipient of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, awarded by the Governor General of Canada.

Patti Pon – Panellist

Patti is a respected community and arts leader who has served as President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development (CADA) since 2013, guiding the organization through a transformative period that included tripling its budget in 2019. Recognized for her collaborative leadership and deep community engagement, she became the first person of colour elected to the Calgary Stampede Board in 2021 and was honoured with the Blackfoot name Miss’tommohtsaamiaakii (Two Standing Headdress Woman). A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals, Patti has held numerous governance roles and, in 2025, received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Mount Royal University for her contributions to the arts and community.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Canadian Heritage.