ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: March 11, 1998

Author/Local: B. Taylor/6004

CC File No. 3132

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	GVRD Request for Comments on Arts and Culture in Vancouver: Contributing to a Livable Region, a report of the Regional Cultural Plan Steering Committee

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council endorse the Phase I report, including the workplan for Phase II of the initiative (attached to this report as Appendix A) and forward City comments as outlined in this report, to the Chair of the GVRD Communications, Education and Culture Committee.

CITY MANAGER’S COMMENTS:

The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

When considering the 1993 Vancouver Arts Initiative (VAI) report, City Council endorsed as priorities the following two policy recommendations of the VAI Task Force:

·to encourage establishment of a regional arts advisory body with representation from GVRD member municipalities to jointly pursue regional arts initiatives,

·to encourage this group to become more active in developing and supporting regional arts organizations.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s comment on the Regional Cultural Plan Steering Committee’s Phase I report entitled Arts and Culture in Vancouver: Contributing to the Livable Region. The complete document has been distributed to Council and is on file with City Clerk’s. The Key Findings, Recommendations, and Phase II Workplan are attached as Appendix "A".

BACKGROUND

In 1994 an inter-municipal committee of staff with cultural planning responsibilities approached the GVRD seeking endorsement and support for a strategic cultural planning process for Greater Vancouver municipalities. In 1995 the GVRD authorized the process with the following mandate:

·to develop a plan to meet the cultural needs of Greater Vancouver, addressing issues of cultural development, cultural diversity, economic development and population growth;

·to ensure an efficient and effective process of cultural development based on a regional strategic plan and through the co-ordination of cultural planning, facility development, and support programs; and,

·to ensure a broad range of high quality cultural services to meet the needs of both residents and visitors to the lower mainland.

The process was supported with grants from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Vancouver Foundation. It was structured in two stages:

Phase I Research

Phase II Strategic Plan Preparation

Following receipt and approval of the Regional Cultural Plan Steering Committee’s Phase I report entitled Arts and Culture in Vancouver: Contributing to the Livable Region, and authorization for the staff committee to proceed with Phase II, the Chair of the GVRD referred copies of the report to all member municipalities.

While the Regional Cultural Plan Steering Committee will continue to report to the GVRD through the Regional Administrative Advisory Committee (RAAC) and the Transportation and Strategic Planning Committee (TSP), the Chair of the Communications, Education andCulture Committee (CECC) has been appointed liaison for the Regional Cultural Plan Steering Committee.

Following his appointment the CECC Chair invited member municipalities to comment on the report, and asked that comments be forwarded by March 31, 1998. Please see Appendix "B".

DISCUSSION

The City of Vancouver staff who participated have found the process both rewarding and promising. While there clearly is a great deal of work to be done (as outlined in the report) there is consensus about the value of the work and an impressive commitment by all municipalities to getting it done. Participation by the full compliment of GVRD municipalities confirms that this is an issue of regional interest and importance. Staff concur with the conclusions and recommendations to date, are supportive of the process, and recommend the City of Vancouver continue active participation.

The Phase II workplan is currently being scheduled and budgeted by the Regional Cultural Plan Steering Committee, and fundraising for related expenses has begun. While outside funding is not assured, preliminary inquiries reveal there is interest in the initiative from both senior levels of government. Having supported Phase I, the Vancouver Foundation has expressed an interest in Phase II, qualified by a desire to see the GVRD and/or participating municipalities making a financial contribution to costs in addition to in-kind participation costs. Staff will be reporting back on fundraising progress later this Spring.

CONCLUSION

Staff recommend that Council endorse the Phase I report and provide the following comments in response to the CECC Chair’s invitation to the participating municipalities:

·The City of Vancouver commends its municipal colleagues participating in the Cultural Plan Steering Committee for the successful completion of Phase I and the cooperative manner in which it has been achieved.

·The results of the research phase are impressive, and confirm that the economic and social benefits of cultural development throughout the region are both substantial and growing.

·The benefits of co-ordinated planning and joint strategic development initiatives are self-evident in the work of the inter-municipal committee itself, and are reflected in the other metropolitan areas studied where there is a co-ordination of cultural policies and investments to maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

·Vancouver is particularly interested in the Committee’s Phase II work related to proposals which can assist Greater Vancouver municipalities to improve co-ordination, respond to growth, explore the diversity of our cultural character, and secure the future of the region’s cultural services.

·Vancouver supports the report’s recognition of the leadership role that municipalities have in securing the quality of life in our own communities and the need to extend that leadership to partnerships with senior governments and the private sector.

·The City of Vancouver looks forward to participating in Phase II and consideration of the proposals that result.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver