Van East – our calls to Save The PNE have been heard!
Since 2020, our community, labour unions, and small businesses have united in the call to save this beloved 112 year-old institution in Vancouver East. The PNE wasn’t able to access federal COVID-19 pandemic financial assistance due to gaps in the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy & other programs – jeopardizing its very survival.
Our community rallied around the PNE, and I raised the need for financial supports for the PNE repeatedly in the House, in letters to the Finance Minister and in response to the federal budget. The federal government gave a grant to Granville Island to help ensure that the Granville Island could survive the pandemic and the NDP called for the government to apply such measures to the PNE as well.
So I am very glad and relieved to share that the federal government has announced a $10 million grant to help secure the future of the PNE.
The PNE is really important to our community as a major employer, employing over 4000 part-time and seasonal employees at its peak, and providing year-round union jobs. The local economic impact of the PNE is over $200 million each year. Many local businesses in Van East benefit from the hundreds of thousands of Fair visitors who pass through the Hastings-Sunrise corridor – not to mention the many suppliers and vendors who rely on the Fair’s business and its associated activities. The PNE is an important link in our city to BC’s agricultural communities. And it’s a venue for local and international musicians and entertainers – we need cultural institutions like this to survive and thrive.
And of course there’s no way to put a price on the fun, enjoyment, memories and friendships to be made at the PNE. Thank you to everyone who spoke out and helped make this possible!
PNE/Playland #festival #buses TransLink#transithistory #transitmuseum
Van East – our calls to Save The PNE have been heard!
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Happy to join with UGM staff and volunteers to serve a special Thanksgiving meal to the community. So wonderful to see so many dedicated volunteers coming together to share a message of love. Happy Thanksgiving!