Sea to Sky Corridor Initiatives
Building Cultural Pride, Corridor Wide
The Sea to Sky Corridor stretches from North Vancouver to Mount Currie, including Bowen Island. With a population of approximately 245,000 residents, the region has a rich and diverse cultural sector. Throughout the year, a variety of events celebrate the uniqueness of each community. Recognizing the value to be gained through greater collaboration, particularly with respect to opportunities presented by the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, a cross-section of community leaders started meeting in 2006 to explore coincidental interests.
The result was creation of the Sea to Sky Cultural Alliance, a collaborative initiative with the purpose of stimulating engagement in cultural experiences throughout the region. The Alliance organized a Sea to Sky Cultural Forum on November 18, 2006 which attracted over 100 artists and arts administrators from across the Corridor.
The Forum was hosted by Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Mayor of the District of West Vancouver and Max Wyman, Mayor of Lions Bay and featured inspirational speakers, including Jane Milner, Assistant Deputy Minister to Stan Hagen, Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts and Joan McIntyre, MLA West Vancouver-Garibaldi; representatives of the Alliance for Arts and Culture in Vancouver; the Okanagan Cultural Alliance; and the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Committee. The Forum focused on building upon work undertaken by participants of inaugural meetings, including:
- preliminary identification of common goals, issues and interests
- recognition of key challenges and opportunities
- benefits of collaboration