Arts, Culture and Education

This pillar is multi-faceted and full of potential. With this category, we mean all the practices that involve visual, audio, theatrical, athletic and domestic arts that can attract visitors to the community. Additionally, there is a huge task ahead of us to educate our local population, in terms of academic, life and vocational skills. ACE is the pillar that binds all of the activities together in a multi-cultural fabric for our local society. It will help create an attractive place to work, play and live.

A number of projects identified in the Master Cultural Plan released in 2003 continue to prosper and be launched...

Symphony Orchestra and Opera Academy of the Pacific
- Met 5th year targets in 1st and 2nd years of the program (89 Students)
- Economic Benefit in year one exceeded $1.5 million
- Attracted in excess of 2,000,000 website hits internationally
- Received excellent international media attention
- The success of SOAP lead to the establishment of the "Opera Academy of the Pacific"

Raincoast Academy of Lutherie
- Project principal attended the Guild of American Luthiers convention in Tacoma, Washington with a few others to gather data and contacts to complete a buisness plan. Plan was completed and Luthier Academy is in operation

Jazz Festival
- Approximately 500 people participated in the Jazz Festival in 2004 and 2005, supporting the accomodation and food services industry during a typically slow period

Festival of Writers 2005
- In its second year the Festival continued to flourish with over 40 registered participants
- The 2006 edition of the festival looks even more promising with a number of big names headlining the sessions

Learning, Leadership Cultural Centre
- Ecole Cote du Soleil went forward with $1,000,000 in renovations that met the terms and conditions laid out in its contract with PRREDS
- This project serves as an excellent example of community partnership
- French language students from across BC and Canada have been attending the centre's Leadership camps in large numbers

Clansman Tattoo
- In 2005, PRREDS provided The Powell River Clansman Pipe Band with support in hosting a 'Tattoo' which featured 10 scottish pipe and drum bands from all over Vancouver Island

Film Projects/Film Festival
- PRREDS is the new home of the Powell River Film Festival Society and the Film Liaison Office
- The 2005 and 2006 editions of the Film Festival were a big success producing some of the biggest audience numbers to date
- The Film liaison office continues to market the Powell River region to the Television and Film Industry and is lending assistance to Avanti Pictures, which will shooting a documentary on Kathaumixw in 2006. Shot in high definition, the production will be aired on the CBC and distributed internationally.