Gaetan's vision for culture
As City of the Arts, Port Moody defined itself as a sophisticated city where residents and businesses value the higher things in life: culture, creativity and the arts. I played a role in the cultural strategic plan that used the City of the Arts designation as a way to market the city as an investment destination. Today, the jury is out as to whether Port Moody lives up to its moniker. Much remains to be done. We need to make City of the Arts the focal point of our economic development strategy. Rather than condo towers, we need to focus on jobs. We need to rebuild our business tax base through private investments in creative industries such as film, graphic arts and an art-focused college.
Priorities
1. Restore community grants to non-profit art groups for one-time capital investments.
2. Attract creative industries. I propose to develop a master plan for the Moody Centre Transit-Oriented-Development (TDO) portion of the Official Community Plan to remove condo towers and focus instead on employment space in a low-rise building form and with a set number of jobs per acre that encourages jobs in creative industries.
3. Identify a percentage for arts as part of the city's development application process.
Funding
We need to increase the current funding for arts, culture, and heritage in your community by partnering with the private sector and lobby senior levels of government to increase their level of funding.
Cultural Growth
Strong leadership is needed to guide the city through wise choices and to reconcile competing priorities. By rebuilding our business tax base, the city will increase its revenues without creating the need for additional services. A focus on business and jobs will help Port Moody become a wealthier community. Additional taxes from businesses will create opportunities for us to make choices between providing additional services for our existing residents and lowering overall tax rates for everyone.
Cultural Spaces
The master plan for Moody Centre (with no condo towers) will include live-work studios and cultural spaces as part of a campus style low-rise pedestrian-oriented development from Moody Street to Electronic Ave and from St Johns Street to the tracks.
Cultural Tourism
It is important that Port Moody create a critical mass of employment, a large percentage of which will be creative industries, so that sizable investors, employers, events and activities be attracted to a more vibrant Moody Centre. This will be achieved by setting out a minimum land assembly requirement and a phasing plan to guide development in Moody Centre.
Key Issues
Because of its focus on condo towers in Moody Centre, the Official Community Plan endorsed by the outgoing Mayor and four Councillors will place incredible pressure on the Rec Centre, Library, Arts Centre and on programs which are all at capacity. Adding 15,000 residents in Port Moody will crowd our facilities and cripple our ability to handle traffic.
Gaetan personally engages in the cultural life of the community by attending arts and culture events. A visual artist himself, Gaetan is a member of Inlet Artists, a group that held several exhibits in Port Moody in the past year. With University degrees in architecture and urban planning, Gaetan is well equipped with the knowledge and tools to lead the community forward as a thriving City of the Arts.
As City of the Arts, Port Moody defined itself as a sophisticated city where residents and businesses value the higher things in life: culture, creativity and the arts. I played a role in the cultural strategic plan that used the City of the Arts designation as a way to market the city as an investment destination. Today, the jury is out as to whether Port Moody lives up to its moniker. Much remains to be done. We need to make City of the Arts the focal point of our economic development strategy. Rather than condo towers, we need to focus on jobs. We need to rebuild our business tax base through private investments in creative industries such as film, graphic arts and an art-focused college.
Priorities
1. Restore community grants to non-profit art groups for one-time capital investments.
2. Attract creative industries. I propose to develop a master plan for the Moody Centre Transit-Oriented-Development (TDO) portion of the Official Community Plan to remove condo towers and focus instead on employment space in a low-rise building form and with a set number of jobs per acre that encourages jobs in creative industries.
3. Identify a percentage for arts as part of the city's development application process.
Funding
We need to increase the current funding for arts, culture, and heritage in your community by partnering with the private sector and lobby senior levels of government to increase their level of funding.
Cultural Growth
Strong leadership is needed to guide the city through wise choices and to reconcile competing priorities. By rebuilding our business tax base, the city will increase its revenues without creating the need for additional services. A focus on business and jobs will help Port Moody become a wealthier community. Additional taxes from businesses will create opportunities for us to make choices between providing additional services for our existing residents and lowering overall tax rates for everyone.
Cultural Spaces
The master plan for Moody Centre (with no condo towers) will include live-work studios and cultural spaces as part of a campus style low-rise pedestrian-oriented development from Moody Street to Electronic Ave and from St Johns Street to the tracks.
Cultural Tourism
It is important that Port Moody create a critical mass of employment, a large percentage of which will be creative industries, so that sizable investors, employers, events and activities be attracted to a more vibrant Moody Centre. This will be achieved by setting out a minimum land assembly requirement and a phasing plan to guide development in Moody Centre.
Key Issues
Because of its focus on condo towers in Moody Centre, the Official Community Plan endorsed by the outgoing Mayor and four Councillors will place incredible pressure on the Rec Centre, Library, Arts Centre and on programs which are all at capacity. Adding 15,000 residents in Port Moody will crowd our facilities and cripple our ability to handle traffic.
Gaetan personally engages in the cultural life of the community by attending arts and culture events. A visual artist himself, Gaetan is a member of Inlet Artists, a group that held several exhibits in Port Moody in the past year. With University degrees in architecture and urban planning, Gaetan is well equipped with the knowledge and tools to lead the community forward as a thriving City of the Arts.
Above: one of Gaetan's spectacular photographs.