Recent coverage in the Georgia Straight determined that leadership was needed to take advantage of the opportunity to develop an Arts Centre from a soon-to-be decommissioned Community Centre building in the heart of Vancouver's Mount Pleasant district. The article read, in part:

Despite the need to make deep cuts in spending as a result of steeply-reduced revenues, Vancouver City Council recognized the importance of maintaining the momentum on implementation of the Cultural Plan as a contributor to local economic regeneration. Full details of how the budget reduction will impact the implementation process has yet to be heard, but in the immediate term this decision helps sustain the commitment of multi-sector stakeholders to keep working together on development.

This is an excerpt from an email alert sent today to the creative community:

At last week's Council meeting a report was accepted by Council on an Interim Budget - ways to increase revenue and cut expenses that will prevent having to increase taxes to meet the planned expenditures for this year. Included as one of the recommended cuts - considered a low priority project (based on the input from the public that took place in January this year) - is the implementation of the Cultural Plan, which this year includes the Facilities Plan and the Cultural Tourism Strategy.