the proponents of two major developments in the arts community over the past two decades: Music and Film in Motion, and Cinéfest. Gordon provided encouragement and support through Greater Sudbury Development Corporation for the city's first nationwide CBC television program, Chilly Beach. March Entertainment, the show's creators, relied on the broadband network to do the back-office work for the program in Sudbury and the front-office work in Toronto. Northeastern Ontario Smart Growth Panel Gordon was a member of the Northeastern Ontario Smart Growth Panel appointed by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. This panel was composed of leaders from industry, educational institutions, First Nations, community organizations and the municipal sector "to develop recommendations for bringing increased prosperity and growth to northeastern Ontario". The provision of a tax incentive zone was one of many recommendations made by this panel. Fiscal Policy As mayor, Gordon worked with city council to establish a climate in which collaboration and cooperation was encouraged to find a way to hold the line on property taxes. The mayor worked in partnership with the city's management and the unionized employees to use the zero-based budgeting process and to find millions of dollars in reductions in the city's budget without layoffs. As a result, the city was able to hold the line on taxes. In 1994, Sudbury topped the list of local municipal efforts to control property taxes in Ontario, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (Members’ Opinions Survey #34, July 1994), a survey based on 8,058 face-to-face interviews with members from 18 communities. Local community initiatives Gordon strongly supported multicultural initiatives and associations in Sudbury throughout his career, including the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association, an umbrella organization of 50 delegate groups with a client population of over 30,000 citizens of Sudbury. He attended numerous functions and provided guidance and assistance. On the occasion of the official visit of Lieutenant Governor Hilary Weston on July 1, 2001, he received recognition from the multicultural community at the Canada Day celebrations. He has been made an honorary lifetime member of the Societa Caruso and been awarded the Gold Combatants Cross in recognition of his assistance to the Polish Combatants Association, an organization originally established by 5,000 Polish veterans who had fought with the Allies in World War II and who were allowed by the Canadian government to immigrate to Canada. He lobbied, along with the original