Background
Planning Phases| Membership | Visioning Process | Committee Meetings and Materials | Framework
The Celebrate Vancouver’s 125th celebration is a major driver that arose from a policy document that Council adopted on June 26, 2008. The City made it known in 2008 that it would be marking the celebration as part if its Cultural Tourism Strategy after the close of the Olympic Games. The Strategy states, that its goal is to “empower the cultural community so that it is poised to use the attention focused on Vancouver during the (2008) Junos and the (2010) Winter Games as a springboard into our 125th Anniversary in 2011 and beyond.”
Planning Phases
| 1. Visioning & Goal Setting Phase | February – March 2010 |
| 2. Programming & Framing Phase | April – May 2010 |
| 3. Gathering Resources & Strategic Partnerships | May – December 2010 |
| 4. Council Report | July 2010 |
| 5. Application to Cultural Capitals of Canada Grant Program | June 2010 |
| 6. Community Outreach | June – December 2010 |
| 7. Call for Submissions for 125th Anniversary Grants Programs | October 2010 and February 2011 |
| 8. Call for Public Art Submissions | Fall 2010 |
| 9. Call for Mural Submissions | Fall 2010 |
| 10. Implementing & Marketing Celebration Plans | June 2010 – July 2011 |
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Membership
For the upcoming 125th celebration, an Ad Hoc Committee was struck in February 2010 to guide the visioning process and provide community input to the City’s preparation for an inclusive year-long celebration. The Celebrate Vancouver’s 125th Anniversary Committee meets monthly and is co-chaired by Margeret Specht, Director, Grants Awards and Support Programs in Cultural Services, and Councillor Heather Deal: the Mayor’s appointee to the Committee.
Celebrate Vancouver’s 125 Advisory Committee is a large group of community members and city staff who represent a broad cross-section of Vancouver’s diverse community. In this context, diverse community encompasses a wide range of perspectives and interests from Vancouver’s cultural, tourism, business and educational communities as well as the general public: diversity of age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and ethnicity with special consideration for First Nations’ perspective. In addition, a range of perspectives from cultural organizations large and small is included with a consideration for a variety of artistic practice.
View the Committee Terms of Reference 
(19kb).
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Ad Hoc Committee Members
| Jeff Alexander | President & CEO, Vancouver Symphony |
| Amir Ali Alibhai | ED, Greater Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture |
| Suzanne Anton | Councillor, City of Vancouver |
| Wendy Au | City of Vancouver, Assistant City Manager |
| Julie Baker | Council Delegate, Squamish First Nation |
| Patricia Barnes | Executive, Director, Hastings North Business Improvement Association |
| Tracey Campbell | Executive Director, Events and Business Development, Vancouver Board of Trade |
| Brad Cran | City of Vancouver Poet Laureate 2009-2011 |
| Mary Anne Davidson | Standing Committee Chair of Community Affairs, Vancouver Board of Trade |
| Heather Deal | Councillor, City of Vancouver |
| Mo Dhaliwal | Board Member, Alliance for Arts and Culture, Vanc. Celebrates Diwali, Vancouver Int'l Bhangra Celebration |
| Larry Donen | Board Member and Chief Brand Steward, Tourism Vancouver & jamjar |
| Saeed Dyanatkar | Chair: City of Vancouver's Multicultural Advisory Committee |
| Elisabeth Geller | Manager, Community & Environment Programs, VanCity Credit Union |
| Wade Grant | Council Delegate, Musqueam First Nation |
| Terry Hunter | Executive Producer, Vancouver Moving Theatre/Heart of the City Festival |
| Howard Jang | Executive Director, Arts Club Theatre |
| Jonathan Kassian | Manager, Research & Communications, Vancouver Economic Development Commission |
| David Lemon | Executive and Artistic Director, Health Arts Society |
| Raymond Louie | Councillor, City of Vancouver |
| Fred Mah | Chinatown Society Heritage Buildings Association |
| Les Mobbs | City of Vancouver, Director of Records and Archives |
| Richard Newirth | City of Vancouver, Managing Director of Cultural Services |
| Bryan Newson | City of Vancouver, Public Art Program Manager |
| Nancy Noble | Executive Director, Museum of Vancouver |
| Lyndsay Poaps | Democratic Spaces Coordinator for the Vancouver Public Space Network |
| Marnie Rice | City of Vancouver, Cultural Services |
| Vanessa Richards | Interdisciplinary artist and Western Region Facilitator- Stand Firm, Equity Office Canada Council |
| Klodyne Rodney | City of Vancouver, Cultural Services |
| Margeret Specht | City of Vancouver, Director, Grants Awards and Support Programs, Cultural Services |
| Diane Switzer | Executive Director, Vancouver Heritage Foundation |
| Susan Tatoosh | Executive Director, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society |
| Carleen Thomas | Council Delegate, Tsleil-Waututh Nation |
| Dennis Thomas | Tsleil-Waututh First Nation Economic Development Project Assistant and Four Host First Nations Community Liaison for the 2010 Olympics |
| Shya-Fen Tsai | Secretary General Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society & artist |
| John Tylee | Director, Policy & Communications, Vancouver Economic Development Commission |
| Baldwin Wong | City of Vancouver, Social Planner, Multiculturalism and Diversity |
| Bruce Wright | Partner, Goodmans LLP |
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Visioning Process & Statement
The official launch of the celebration will be on January 17, 2011, and this representative group is being taken quickly and concurrently through key stages of visioning, goal setting, planning programming, acquiring financial and human resources and implementing the significant celebration plans.
The Committee has drafted a Vision Statement:
"Building on the momentum, energy and spirit generated during the Olympics, and through a growing awareness and understanding of our identities, first nations’ heritage and cultural diversity, the people and neighbourhoods of Vancouver feel excitement, pride and enthusiasm for a celebration in recognition of Vancouver’s 125th with activities that engage and enrich our society through the celebration of art and culture."
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Committee Meetings and Materials
Meeting Agendas and Minutes
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #1 - February 8, 2010
Agenda(10kb) | Minutes (26kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #2 - March 24, 2010
Agenda(28kb) | Minutes (27kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #3 - April 7, 2010
Agenda(28kb) | Minutes (29kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #4 - April 28, 2010
Agenda(28kb) | Minutes (41kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #5 (two parts)
- May 19 & 21, 2010
Agenda(28kb) | Minutes (28kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #6 - June 16, 2010
Agenda(32kb) | Minutes (38kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #7 - July 21, 2010
Agenda(32kb) | Minutes (35kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #8 - September 8, 2010
Agenda(30kb) | Minutes (37kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #9 - December 1, 2010
Agenda(26kb) | Minutes (39kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #10 - January 25, 2011
Agenda(24kb) | Minutes (38kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #11 - March 15, 2011
Agenda(33kb) | Minutes (94kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #12 - September 14, 2011
(Rescheduled from June 2, 2011)
Agenda(33kb) | Minutes (46kb)
- Celebrate Vancouver 125 Advisory Committee Meeting #13 - December 6, 2011
Agenda(28kb) | Minutes
Research Materials
- Presentation: Research into Possibilities (1.73mb)
- Background Material: Review of seven celebration cities (45kb)
- Background Material: Sampling of activities undertaken in previous anniversary celebrations (17kb)
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Framing
On July 8, 2010, Vancouver City Council unanimously supported the Celebrate Vancouver’s 125 Advisory Committee’s vision and framework for the year-long celebration. Council approved a re-allocation of Cultural Tourism Reserve funds and, in principal, new one-time capital and operational contributions to the celebration initiatives. View the full report (109kb)
Robert Kerr is the City's Producing Artistic Director for two key celebrations that will take place April 6, 2011 and July 8, 9, 10, 2011.
Details of the program will be announced publicly as broadly as feasible and through the City’s Vanculture e-newsletter. Please sign up to receive Vanculture notices.
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