April 2008
VANCOUVER ART GALLERY TO CONSTRUCT NEW BUILDING
The Vancouver Art Gallery has received $50 million in lead funding from the Province of British Columbia as the first step towards constructing a new purpose-built art museum in Vancouver's downtown core. After 25 years in its current location at Robson Square, the former Provincial courthouse building no longer meets the organization's needs. Projected for completion in 2014, the Gallery plans to begin construction on a new building in 2010, shortly after the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. After an extensive master planning process which concluded in 2004, the Gallery determined the need for a building of approximately 320,000 square feet, more than double the size of the current building, to meet the institution's exhibitions, collections and programming requirements for the next 30 years and beyond.
www.vanartgallery.bc.ca

In This Issue
VANCOUVER ART GALLERY TO CONSTRUCT NEW BUILDING
US AIRWAYS INTRODUCES NEW PHILLY-YVR ROUTING
SPORTING ACTION ALL YEAR ROUND
METROPOLITAN HOTEL INTRODUCES NEW LUXURY KING ROOMS
ART GALLERY GOES "KRAZY!"
VANCOUVER'S FIRST 'ZERO-WASTE' EVENT
US AIRWAYS INTRODUCES NEW PHILLY-YVR ROUTING
US Airways has just announced that they will introduce a new direct routing between Philadelphia International Airport and Vancouver International Airport this summer. Running June 3 through to September 2, the non-stop flights will run daily between the two cities on an Airbus A319 aircraft. Philadelphia is US Airways' international hub, offering access to 20 cities across Europe.
www.yvr.ca
SPORTING ACTION ALL YEAR ROUND
With the hosting of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, it's no surprise that our city is a great place to enjoy fantastic winter

sporting action. But Vancouver is quickly gaining a reputation as a must-visit destination for sports enthusiasts the whole year round. Here are a few of the major sporting events taking place in the city this summer:

  • The Vancouver Triathlon World Championships, taking place June 5 - 8, will be a qualifying event for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Watch as world-class athletes bike, swim and run down at English Bay in downtown Vancouver.
    www.triathlonvancouver.com
  • The 2008 World Ultimate Championships will bring 2,000 flying disc (otherwise known as Frisbee) athletes to Vancouver's University of British Columbia, August 2 - 9. The tournament will also include a more extreme version of Ultimate, known as Guts.
    www.wugc2008.com
  • Two great tennis tournaments will take place in Vancouver this summer. The 77th Stanley Park Open will be held July 12 - 27, with the Vancouver Open (part of the USTA pro circuit) immediately following it, July 27 - August 3, at Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver.
    www.tennisbc.org
METROPOLITAN HOTEL INTRODUCES NEW LUXURY KING ROOMS
Already a favourite with business travelers and celebrities alike, Vancouver's Metropolitan Hotel is sure to win even more fans with the introduction of their newly renovated Luxury King rooms. Features include a luxury king-size bed with Frette linens, chaise lounge, spacious marble bathroom, 27' flat screen TV and an iPod alarm clock docking station.
www.metropolitan.com
ART GALLERY GOES "KRAZY!"
May 17 - September 7, 2008
For the first time, the Vancouver Art Gallery will bring together the worlds of anime, comics, cartoons, video games, manga, graphic novels and contemporary art together in one exhibition. Offering an innovative and dynamic survey, KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art reveals the uniqueness of each medium, while uncovering their histories, interrelations and future trajectories. The exhibition is co-curated by some of the art forms' most influential artists and cultural producers, including Maus author Art Spiegelman, The Sims creator Will Wright, comic artist Seth and animated feature film director Tim Johnson. Conceived and developed by Vancouver Art Gallery senior curator Bruce Grenville, the exhibition will travel to a New York City arts institution in March 2009. Private exhibition tours and meal packages are available for groups.
www.vanartgallery.bc.ca
VANCOUVER'S FIRST 'ZERO-WASTE' EVENT
The Canadian Waste & Recycling Expo, held November 27-29, 2007 at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, has now been officially recognized as Vancouver's first audited "Zero-Waste" event. Carried out in cooperation with show organizer Messe Frankfurt, this accomplishment has set a standard that both organizations hope will be recognized and adopted by other centres and events.

In their efforts to make the expo a "Zero Waste" event, the organizers and the VCEC took steps such as making sure recyclable and reusable materials were used in food service, encouraging exhibitors to use recyclable materials in their displays and remove all of the materials they brought in, and making sure recycling was as easy as possible.
www.vcec.ca

For further information, please contact:
Wendy Underwood
Manager, Travel Media Relations,
Trade + International
Phone: 604.631.2859
wunderwood@tourismvancouver.com

Emily Armstrong
Manager, Travel Media Relations, North America
Phone: 604.631.2873
earmstrong@tourismvancouver.com

Amber Sessions
Travel Media Relations Specialist
Phone: 604.631.2870
asessions@tourismvancouver.com
Tourism Vancouver