By: Noeka Nimmervoll, News Editor
On July 15, COPE city councillor Sean Orr passed a motion at a City Finance and Services meeting, entitled Keep the Artists in: Creating a Cultural Land Trust for Vancouver. The motion aims to establish a “nonprofit cultural land trust” for Vancouver to facilitate the long-term presence of cultural spaces in Vancouver via providing “the structural permanence, flexibility, and credibility necessary to attract multi-sector investment.”
The motion passed unanimously, with resolutions for mayor Ken Sim to initiate conversation with the provincial and federal governments on this trust, and for the staff to create a report on it. The report will include consultations with the arts, culture, and community services department for advice on a framework. The framework would establish a rough outline with an estimated budget, and create a list of city-owned buildings that have potential as future arts and culture spaces.
The Peak spoke with Chloe Leslie, a COPE candidate for city council in the upcoming election who played a supportive role in drafting this motion. Leslie shared, “A cultural land trust is an independent, non-profit organization that acquires, owns, and stewards land and buildings for cultural use permanently.” This trust will “separate the ownership of the land from the pressures of the private real estate market so that arts and cultural spaces remain affordable over the long term,” she added.
Leslie explained, “As neighbourhoods become more expensive, artists and cultural organizations are often the first to be displaced! Even successful creative spaces can disappear when buildings are sold, redeveloped, or rents increase dramatically.”
The motion shared, “The City of Vancouver has lost over 400,000 sq ft of artist studio space since the 2010s, representing a critical and accelerating erosion of affordable creative workspace that threatens the cultural vitality and economic diversity of the city.” The Peak talked to Paige Frewer, co-founder and director of The Birdhouse, a queer performance and events space run by 2SLGBTQIA+ people, to learn more.
Frewer highlighted cost of operation is the main challenge of operating the venue. They shared that the Birdhouse is a “special event venue that operates on special event permits” that affects its event hosting capabilities. Frewer said the group’s “biggest barrier is figuring out a way to be profitable with a limited number of events allowed per month.”
Frewer shared, “Rent support would enable us to serve clients and audiences with more financial flexibility.” They highlighted that less overhead could provide more space for community events. “Sometimes the higher need or higher community and cultural value events aren’t necessarily bringing in the most money, so it’d be nice to not have to make those sacrifices.”
The Peak also spoke with Take Your Time, a grassroots community organization centred in creative community building practices. The group announced via Instagram on March 12, due to city interventions, they would “not be able to continue hosting shows after March 22.” They have since adapted to host a variety of events such as community meditation, pride-themed karaoke, and album listening parties.
Although Take Your Time shared they have experienced challenges due to this intervention, they said to The Peak, “We are more interested in celebrating the survival of our collective spirit through it all.” They explained that engaging in culture is important “because it helps us figure out who we are. As individuals for sure, but also as communities. For a space like ours, the community aspect is essential.”
“A thriving arts scene doesn’t happen by accident. It requires long-term investment and permanent cultural infrastructure. Around the world, cultural land trusts have shown that it’s possible to preserve creative spaces for future generations rather than losing them to speculation.”
— Chloe Leslie, COPE candidate for City Council
In regards to the art scene, Leslie shared, “A thriving arts scene doesn’t happen by accident. It requires long-term investment and permanent cultural infrastructure. Around the world, cultural land trusts have shown that it’s possible to preserve creative spaces for future generations rather than losing them to speculation.”
