Vancouver Greens on the arts: restored grants, a festival fund, 8 events a month
The Green Party of Vancouver would restore arts staff and grants it says ABC cut, create a City-funded Festival Fund, back Cultural Land Trusts, and let qualified venues hold up to eight events a month for up to 60 people until a new licence category exists.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT · PAGE 36
Arts and Culture: what the Platform 2026 says
The Green Party of Vancouver treats arts and culture as part of the city's economy, and places this chapter inside its economic plan. All of it sits on one page of the platform. They deal with money for artists and festivals, the cost of creative space, and the city rules that decide when a small venue can hold an event.
On money, the Greens would restore and expand the arts and culture staff and grants that the platform says ABC's council cut. They would write a new city-wide strategy for arts jobs and arts businesses. The party would also support a dedicated Festival Fund paid for by the City, because it says festivals face growing gaps in funding and sponsorship.
On space, the party would protect and create affordable studios, live-work units, workshops and venues by reusing old buildings and loosening land-use rules. It would support Cultural Land Trusts, which are non-profit groups that buy buildings and keep them for arts use. The Greens would also build up the Eastside as an arts district, keeping creative space affordable there through zoning, land-use conditions and incentives.
The most specific promise is about small venues. The Greens would create a new licence category for qualified venues. Until that exists, they would raise the limits so a venue could hold up to eight events per month with up to 60 people, while keeping safety standards. The city licenses venues and events, so council could make these changes. Liquor licensing is shared with the province.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
Events per month the party would allow at qualified venues while a new licence category is created
The party's figure, page 36People the party would allow in qualified venues under the interim occupancy limit
The party's figure, page 367 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Eastside Arts District
The party would strengthen the Eastside's identity as a neighbourhood for arts, culture and creativity. It would preserve affordable creative space and support artists and cultural organizations through zoning, land-use conditions and incentives.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets zoning and land-use conditions, which are the tools this item names.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 36
Support arts, culture, and creative economies
The Greens would support artists, cultural organizations, creative businesses and arts districts. The party says a strong creative sector makes Vancouver more resilient and connected.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city funds cultural grants and spaces through its own budget, which council approves.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 36
Restore City arts funding and a new strategy
The party would restore and expand the arts and culture staffing and grants that it says ABC cut, and put in place a new city-wide strategy to support arts economic development and employment.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the operating budget, which pays for city arts staff and grants.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 36
Making space for arts
The Greens would protect and create affordable studios, live-work spaces, workshops and cultural venues through adaptive reuse (turning existing buildings to new uses), flexible land-use policies and creative building conversions.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls zoning and building permits, which decide how an existing building can be converted.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 36
Making it easier for creative-use spaces and venues to operate
The party would reduce red tape around event licensing and occupancy rules while keeping safety standards. It would create a new licensing category for qualified venues and, in the meantime, raise limits to allow up to eight events per month and up to 60 people.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city licenses venues and events, so council can create a licence category and change these limits; liquor licensing is shared with the province.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 36
Cultural Land Trusts
The Greens would support Cultural Land Trusts that buy and keep creative spaces, cultural venues, artist studios and live-work buildings as non-profit community assets.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The trusts are non-profit groups that would own the buildings, and council can help them with city funding, land or zoning.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 36
Stable funding for festivals
Citing growing gaps in funding and sponsorship, the party would support a dedicated City-funded Festival Fund that gives reliable support to arts, cultural and community events.
- Who has the power
- City Council A City-funded festival fund would come from the city budget, which council approves each year.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 36
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about arts and culture
What would the Green Party of Vancouver do for small music and arts venues?
The Green Party of Vancouver would create a new licensing category for qualified venues and cut red tape on event licences and occupancy rules, while keeping safety standards. Until the new category exists, it would raise the limits to allow up to eight events per month and up to 60 people (platform, page 36).
Would the Vancouver Greens restore arts grants cut by ABC?
Yes. The Vancouver Greens say they would restore and expand the arts and culture staffing and grants that the platform says ABC cut. They would also put in place a new city-wide strategy for arts economic development and jobs (platform, page 36).
Does the Green Party of Vancouver have a plan for festival funding?
The Green Party of Vancouver would support a dedicated City-funded Festival Fund to give reliable support to arts, cultural and community events. The party says festivals face growing gaps in funding and sponsorship (platform, page 36).
What is a Cultural Land Trust in the Vancouver Green platform?
In the Green Party of Vancouver's platform, a Cultural Land Trust buys and keeps creative spaces, venues, artist studios and live-work buildings as non-profit community assets. The party says it would support these trusts (platform, page 36).
What is the Green Party of Vancouver's Eastside Arts District?
The Green Party of Vancouver would strengthen the Eastside's identity as a neighbourhood for arts, culture and creativity. It would keep affordable creative space and support artists and cultural groups through zoning, land-use conditions and incentives (platform, page 36).
Who decides whether Vancouver venues can hold more events?
City Council. The city licenses venues and events and sets its own occupancy rules, so council could create the new licence category and the interim limits of eight events a month and 60 people that the Green Party of Vancouver proposes. Liquor licensing is shared with the province (platform, page 36).
ON THE BALLOT
The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Platform 2026, Green Party of Vancouver (72-page PDF, last updated September 29, 2026) SAYS SO ITSELFGreen Party of Vancouver · pages 36 · published · checked