Ep. 307: Re-imagining downtown Vancouver

Guest: Charles Gauthier, Downtown Vancouver BIA

It’s hard to imagine downtown Vancouver without Charles Gauthier guiding, nudging and cajoling us to be our best.

For 30 years, Gauthier has led the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association and by extension, he has led all of us to be contributors to a vibrant community.

“When I started, the Association was small in every way – a small staff, a small budget and a small mandate,” says Gauthier. From humble beginnings as the saying goes, but how did he do it? Gauthier says, “I knew we had to do something of significance but I also knew it had to be the right thing. So I spent the first six months just listening to members, to elected officials, to citizens. From there, we worked to transform downtown Vancouver into the live/work place it is today.”

In addition to working with City planners to create a livable downtown, the rest of the plan emerged, which included securing ongoing funding, working to make the city safe and clean, to open up public spaces and to support public events. Gauthier says, “It included re-imagining the city of the future. We worked with SFU Public Square and developed a blueprint for Vancouver 2040.”

Recently, Mr Gauthier announced he will step down – an idea that is almost unimaginable.

We invited Charles Gauthier of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association to join us for a Conversation That Matters about once again reimagining Vancouver in the COVID-induced safety state.