The Great Beginnings Program: Old Streets, New Pride
British Columbia turned 150 years old in 2008. To celebrate, an initiative called Great Beginnings was created by the city and funded by the provincial government. Over three years from 2008 to 2011, $10 million will be given to celebrate the history, heritage and culture of Vancouver’s first urban areas. Gastown, Chinatown, Japantown and Strathcona - often referred to collectively as the Downtown Eastside - have, and continue to experience physical, social and economic improvements. This is a unique opportunity to create a legacy in the area of improved physical, social, and economic conditions.
- The Great Beginnings 2009 Year End Progress Report (
PDF 140 MB) - June 2009 Project Progress Report ( PDF 1.28mb)
- 2008 Project Progress Report & Evaluation ( PDF 2.33mb)
The Great Beginnings Program (GB) is being coordinated with activities undertaken through the City of Vancouver’s Olympic Social Sustainability Program for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (OSS), and The Vancouver Agreement (VA), creating the DTES Inter-Governmental Initiative. The three programs all are designed to improve:
- The physical environment
- The social environment
- The economic environment and creation of local work opportunities
By linking up with the OSS and the VA, the Great Beginnings Program has been able to leverage funds and increase its ability to create legacies and lasting positive change in the DTES. Many projects are supported by a combination of GB, OSS and VA funds.
(See box below for further information on both these initiatives.)
Olympic Social Sustainability Program (OSS)
Vancouver is the first Olympic and Paralympic Games Host City that developed an agreement reflecting commitments by the Olympic partners to ensure certain social sustainability and Inner-City Inclusion (ICI) goals are met as part of the 2010 Winter Games.
Read the Olympic Social Sustainability Initiative Projects December 2009 Update Report ( PDF 2.86 MB)
The Vancouver Agreement (VA)
The Vancouver Agreement is an agreement involving three levels of government to support local community solutions to economic, social, health, and safety issues with a goal of creating healthy, safe neighbourhoods that are economically and socially prosperous, making them desirable places to live and work for all residents.
The overarching goal of The Great Beginnings Program is to enhance the community pride, livability, and public appeal of Vancouver’s first urban areas through improvements to the physical, social, and economic environments. To facilitate successful realization of this goal, the staff team has developed 5 program themes:
5 Great Beginnings Program Themes:
Public Space Improvements – physically improving public spaces such as parks, streets, sidewalks, and lanes.
Arts and Culture – expanding existing arts and cultural events through support and funding.
Community Living – making the neighbourhood more livable and getting more local residents involved in community activities.
Capacity-Building – raising the capacity of the community through project engagement, partnerships, and collaboration.
Community Pride – creating opportunities for DTES residents and businesses.
Comments or questions? Email Great Beginnings Vancouver
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