MOTION ON NOTICE

Encourage and Expand Performance Venues

Moved by: Councillor Heather Deal

WHEREAS a thriving creative sector is vital to the continuing economic and cultural
success of Vancouver, and

WHEREAS live performance venues for music, theatre, literary, visual and media arts
make up a part of that creative sector, and

WHEREAS Vancouver has the highest percentage of its workforce in cultural industries
among Canadian city-regions, and

WHEREAS local artists and entrepreneurs face a variety of challenges in opening and
operating performance venues including (but not limited to) fire code and building
codes, liquor license by-laws, zoning restrictions and start-up costs, and

WHEREAS many of these challenges are identified in the Cultural Facilities Priorities
Plan,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

A. City Council direct staff, in consultation with the Cultural Facilities Advisory

Team, to convene a Round Table to provide advice on;
• Opportunities and options for enabling the creation and sustainable
operation of live performance venues,
• Current barriers to the creation and operation of live performance venues;
• Solutions to address the barriers for the creation of performance spaces in
nontraditional venues and locations (art galleries, retail stores, etc.)
• Potential impact of liquor by-laws and Special Occasion Licenses on
performance venues and suggestions for requested changes to liquor by-
laws,

B. Council direct staff to consult relevant City departments to identify base life-
safety standards, issues/barriers and recommended solutions for enabling the
development of live performance venues, in particular small and medium sized
independently owned venues, and

C. Staff report back to Council by the 2009 summer break with a plan for
implementation of recommendations based on A and B above, including
immediate actions.

http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20090505/regu20090505ag.htm