• 6th Annual: For the Love of the Arts Festival on May 16 with a record attendance of over 1400 visitors
• 2nd Edition of Q [queue] Notes published
  

• Internal demolition at QEP complete.  Final floor plans/space allocations awaited.
• Q [queue] Notes, a newsletter following the latest developments at QEP, is launched for all of Oakville
  
• Town Staff host micro planning meeting with potential user groups regarding specific space requirements and some technical considerations

• Assist Town staff with communication of consultation meeting between potential user groups and architects working on QE Park Community Centre
• Encouraged groups to complete and submit space requirement survey created by architects
• Information on space requirements, access, and affordable rates compiled by CUAS between fall of 2008 and spring of 2009 shared with architects
  

• Town of Oakville Mayor and Council approve the re-purposing of QE Park School retaining the full 140,000 sq. ft. of usable space for recreation and artistic pursuits for youth, seniors, and the community as a whole.
• Hosted the 5th Annual: For the Love of the Arts Festival at Town Hall on May 3 bringing together Oakville's arts, culture, and community groups, many of which will benefit from new space made available at QE Park.
  

• Negotiations and discussions underway with the Town of Oakville regarding a re-purposed QE Park school.  Lobbying for Council support of "option 3": the retention of 140,000 sq. ft of usable space as a first true shared CommUnity Centre with pool, gyms, multi-purpose rooms, arts and music rooms, specialised art workshops, seniors and youth lounge to accommodate varied programming for all age groups.
   

Fall 2008

• Hosted an evening reception to advocate for the re-purposing of QE Park as a first creative community centre for Oakville.  The Mayor, many councillors, key supporters, representatives from supporter groups all in attendance.  The dialogue with the Town continues.  No news on the Town's Cultural Plan or Architectual design for QE Park yet.
• Town Consultations underway to determine the suitability of the conversion of the former Queen Elizabeth Park School into Oakville's first Creative CommUnity Centre.  CUAS is a partner at the table arguing on behalf of the many diverse arts and cultural groups whose space needs have been growing since the consultation process began to include other community groups in need of meeting, storage or office space.

Spring/Summer 2008

• CUAS supporter groups were invited by the Town to an information gathering meeting at QE Park High school on August 26th, 2008.  Architects recorded specific space needs from represented groups and will develop a preliminary design for a re-purposed QE Park.  The Mayor announced that $7.4 Million from the Province could well be applied to bringing the project at QE Park forward in Oakville's capital plan.
• We hosted our 4th AnnUal For the Love of The Arts Festival on June 14th and raised a profit of $4000.00 for the CommUnity Work Space building fund.

October 2007

• We invited selected community leaders – arts and non-arts – to a strategy meeting on October 20th, 2007 to refine our understanding, build support, and develop a new goal line. 
• Secured continued support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for this goal line and Action Plan
• Received formal endorsement from the Oakville Arts Council

• Change of name to CommUnity Arts Space to signify the understanding that art has a space in our community, that we need to unite the community in their support for one or several community spaces which are to accommodate a wide range of community groups including arts group, and the notion that art and culture are part of society and human interaction just as much as sports, business, and education.

Spring 2007

• Change of leadership (new Executive Director and Chair of the Board in 2007)
• The Town of Oakville has committed to a cultural review, which is to study all existing provisions of cultural space and needs thereof, to be completed by summer 2008 to inform the budget for 2009.
• The Town is also facing considerable growth, which will mean that cultural spaces, built 15-20 years ago for a much smaller Town, are increasingly inadequate or difficult to access.
• Consequently, our project of creating space for the non-for-profit arts and music groups – MASS’ original intent – finds itself in a much larger context and within a time frame over which our group has no control (the Town has shelved any commitment towards the construction/adaptation of new and existing cultural spaces until after it has received the results of the cultural review in 2008).  

• M.A.S.S. hosted the third annual For the Love of The Arts Festival at Town Hall; even better and bigger than before.

• M.A.S.S. received a 3-year operating grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to pursue its mandate.

• M.A.S.S. completed a three-year work plan and submitted a 3-year operating grant request to the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

• M.A.S.S. presented comments to the Town of Oakville draft Master Plan for "Parks, Recreation, Culture, and Library" which were included in the final version:
• "In order to accommodate the needs of local art/cultural practitioners and non-profit groups the following options should be considered:
• The Town of Oakville explores a partnership for the development of a community-based arts facility with MASS (Music and Art Shared Space)... The Town should continue to support MASS in their pursuit of funding opportunities including, but not limited to, Trillium Grant applications."

• The Fundraising Feasibility Study, Building Concept, and Business Model and Plan were completed and submitted to the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

• M.A.S.S. hosted the second annual For the Love of the Arts Festival at Town Hall: an even greater success with more visual arts, more groups and higher attendance.

• M.A.S.S. was awarded a $51,800 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to fund a Fundraising Feasibility Study and Business Plan.

• M.A.S.S. hosted the first annual For the Love of the Arts Festival at Town Hall: It was a huge success with participation from a wide variety of Oakville's creative groups and more than 800 people attended!

• The M.A.S.S. board presented to the Town of Oakville's Community Services Committee (which includes half of the Town's councilors and the Mayor) on Tuesday, October 26.
• Our material was commended for that we have "done our homework" in creating a coalition and defining the needs.

• Petition signing launch at Art-in-the-Park.
• Launch of web site.

• Oakville Music & Art Shared Space was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization.
• The Advisory Committee, with representatives from the various stake-holder groups was formed.
• The Town of Oakville has agreed to review the need for an Art and Music center as part of the Parks, Recreation, Libraries, and Culture Master Plan activities.

• The initial steering committee completed the first draft of the Strategic Plan.
• Meetings were held with artists and groups, as well as Town and government officials.
• The official board of directors of M.A.S.S.- Music and Art Shared Space -  was formed in April.

• A major survey of a solid cross-section of stakeholders was completed in collaboration with the Oakville Arts Council.
• Twenty-two non-profit groups responded with interest and needs.
• A private donation of $100,000 was made and is held in trust for a building fund.