The idea of the Edmonton Heritage Council was presented in The Art of Living, the 10-year cultural plan for the City of Edmonton adopted by City Council in August 2008.
It stated that a heritage council would “provide a clear collective identity and voice for heritage in Edmonton [and] ally heritage with other comparable communities and organizations in the city”, such as the Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Tourism and the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation.
Planning for the EHC began in early 2009, with its first staff hired in April 2009 and a Steering Committee formed to guide the organization towards its founding meeting on November 19th, 2009.