A positive impact in the community.
Community Focused
Creating and implementing Collingwood community initiatives to transform and enrich our area.
Supporting the Arts
In Collingwood and the South Georgian Bay region we have a very strong Arts and Culture Community. In fact we have uncovered over 200 individuals and groups in our region that are involved in Arts and Culture.
As we all know, Theatre Collingwood has been heavily involved in the Performance Arts for years, and is without a home to perform. We need to find an adequate facility to house Theatre Collingwood and also look at opportunities for people involved in the Arts and Culture movement.
Introducing CACE
Cace – Centre for Arts, Culture and Entertainment, was born a little over three years ago. It is a local grassroots group of citizens who are very passionate and committed to building an arts, culture and entertainment Centre in Collingwood for our South Georgian Bay Region. Thomas is proud to have been a founder of the CACE group and presently works on the Committee… all on a voluntary basis.
VISION
Our Vision is ‘To establish Collingwood as the centre of art, culture and entertainment in the South Georgian Bay area.’ Our Mission is ‘To build a world class adaptable, multi-purpose Centre that is commercially sustainable by attracting major artists and productions while supporting local artists and programs in the community.’
GOALS
- Promote all art forms across all ages and abilities.
- Engage the community for input and support.
- Engage the Town of Collingwood and its Council.
- Seek professionals for input on all aspects of the project.
The Centre:
- The priority is to design and build a Centre that has flexible space and facilities that will accommodate the needs of many types of organizations.
- Inclusivity, accessibility, sustainability and community engagement will be the cornerstones of the project.
- The Centre will have the capacity to attract world-class artists to perform in our town.
CACE has worked with Nordicity, a consulting firm hired by the Town of Collingwood, to complete a feasibility report on the viability of an Arts and Culture Centre in Collingwood for our region.
The report was in total support of building a Centre in Collingwood and the recommended theatre size was 800 seats. We need to plan for our Centre needs now and into the future, as Collingwood will add another 10-15,000 residents over the next 20 years.
Collingwood Parks, Recreation and Culture, (PRC), headed up by Dean Collver, has worked with CACE to set out a Project Priority Action Plan. We hope that PRC will finally present a favourable report to our Town Council, along with an action plan to bring in professional consultants to help us build this fantastic project. CACE will work with the Town to make this Centre a reality for our great region.
Collingwood And Surrounding Area
Attainable Housing
Over the past several years there have been a number of studies on the Housing Market in the South Georgian Bay region and municipalities like Collingwood. In our region, we are over 5000 employment positions short in all retail, service, hospitality and manufacturing sectors. The primary reason for this employee shortage is the lack of affordable ‘Attainable’ Housing…people wanting to enter our workforce cannot afford to live here.
We all know that many of our housing markets have seen unbelievable increases in prices, due to the demand, mostly from the GTA, for people who are seeking a better lifestyle that is offered in our Four Seasons area. And not only is the supply of homes very low, but the rental market is less than one percent, and the available rental stock is generally poor in quality. All this has created a supply/demand and cost crisis in our area.
Politicians in our area have been talking for years about the need for Attainable Housing.
But now we need actual positive action.
Our Proposed Affordable Housing Solution
Thomas has been examining modular housing, whether for small homes or low rise 3-4-5 storey low rise apartments. We will present housing solutions to the Town of Collingwood, but it is incumbent on the Town to amend countless bureaucratic issues and outdated bylaws, to create public/private partnerships to solve this housing crisis. Whether for smaller infill sites or secondary rental units on residential lots, we can find ways to solve this housing crisis.
