Vancouver city council has approved a $30,000 one-time grant for the organizers of the Car Free Day festivals on Main Street and Commercial Drive.
The Car Free Vancouver Society had said on its website that the events would be cancelled this year due to increasing costs.
In an urgent motion that was passed unanimously by council on Tuesday, the city will now provide $30,000 in funds to stop the cancellation — as long as a satisfactory financial plan is provided by organizers.
OneCity Coun. Lucy Maloney, who proposed the urgent motion along with COPE Coun. Sean Orr, said it would have been a shame to lose the two festivals this year.
OneCity Coun. Lucy Maloney, seen here last April, said it would have been a shame to lose the two community festivals. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“I think that it’s an indication that we take arts and cultural organizations and events and festivals for granted,” she told CBC News.
“It produces incredible economic benefits, let alone the benefits to our social cohesion and the vibrancy of our city,” she added. “We gain so much from these events, but we just haven’t been investing in them for years and years and years. And that’s got to be turned around.”
Car Free Vancouver Society says on its website that it has been organizing the festivals in the city since 2004.
This year, the Car Free Day on Commercial Drive was scheduled for Sept. 5 and the Main Street event was scheduled for Sept. 13.
LISTEN | Maloney speaks before her motion:
Call to support events
The society had said that rising operational costs and changes to grant funding meant the risk of proceeding with the festivals “was too high to mitigate.”
When CBC News reached out to a representative of Car Free Vancouver Society on the phone, they said they were working on the information given to them by the city.
“One thing you can say is that we are deeply grateful to Sean and Lucy,” the representative said via text message.
Maloney said community festivals, like Car Free Days, make summer in the city more enjoyable and provide a platform for businesses and community organizations alike.
“We need to make sure we’re still supporting all the other events that make Vancouver so wonderful that are still happening this summer, despite some of the strain that [the] FIFA [World Cup] coming to town does put on them,” she said.
Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, said that the Main Street Car Free Day was a huge event for businesses in the area. (Shawn Foss/CBC)
Neil Wyles, the executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, said it was a bit of a shock to learn the Main Street Car Free Day was facing cancellation — but he was pleased to see the city stepping in.
He said around 100 of his association’s member organizations have participated in the event in recent years.
“There’s hundreds of thousands of people up and down Main Street, so you can’t help but make it into a good day,” he said.