“To steward this public land for meaningful urban and social experimentation among diverse, creative, cultural, and business models, engaging local First Nations and communities while welcoming the world.”
– Granville Island's Mission Statement
A PEOPLE'S PLACE
WHAT WE'RE UP TO
EDUCATION & PARTICIPATION
We create initiatives that educate the public and create inclusion and transparency. We aim to educate, increase awareness and participation in this amazing project and in support of the Granville Island 2040 process. Granville Island was purposely never “finished”, and continues to evolve today. However, because of its true nature as a “people’s place”, the Island needs your help and guidance! Become a Friend today to activate latent potential of this amazing place to create opportunities for future generations. This initiative is only possible with your help!
ADVOCACY
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Friends of Granville Island’s is an advocate for the Island’s founding principles, as well as its unique status as an urban park zoned for creative experimentation. In this capacity, we intend to work with the new Granville Island Council to ensure that the Island’s spirit is preserved and that its complex stakeholder base has a meaningful say in any future decisions about the Island. In addition, we also advocate for increased equity and access on Granville Island, in keeping with its history as a gathering place for the xÊ·mÉ™θkÊ·É™yÌ“É™m (Musqueam), Tsleil-Waututh, and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples, as well as its position in the heart of Vancouver, a multicultural city. We believe that the artists, businesses, and projects that take place on Granville Island should reflect Vancouver’s diversity.
In the early 1970s, with public input, Granville Island was designated by the Government of Canada as a cultural multi-use “people’s place” or “urban park”, new terms that were coined specifically for the use of this 42-acre piece of land.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
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Granville Island’s reputation as a unique urban laboratory for creative and cross-cultural experimentation has dwindled over the years. Friends of Granville Island is here to spread the word, and to engage communities that are not currently represented on-Island. Ultimately, we hope to function as an entry point for individuals and organizations who are interested in working on Granville Island, and to facilitate relationships between past, present, and future Granville Islanders.
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GOVERNANCE
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Friends of Granville Island plans to work with the new Granville Island Council to ensure that the Island’s governance has the resources it needs to fulfil the Island’s mandate and 2040 Plan.
