Media Advisory: Day 5 of Hotel Workers’ Encampment: Community Teach-In Highlights Housing Crisis as City Hall Enters Critical Week of Development Decisions
VANCOUVER, BC — On Day 5 of the UNITE HERE Local 40 encampment outside Vancouver City Hall, community members will gather Monday evening for a teach-in and community karaoke hosted by BAYAN BC and Gabriela BC, highlighting the connections between Vancouver’s housing crisis, migrant justice, and workers’ rights.
The event marks the beginning of a pivotal week at City Hall as Council prepares to consider several major development proposals before its summer recess, including Holborn Group’s proposed downtown megaproject featuring three supertall towers, including a 920-room luxury hotel.
On Thursday, July 23, UNITE HERE Local 40 will hold a rally outside Vancouver City Hall ahead of the public hearing, calling on Council to pause approval of Holborn’s proposal and put affordable housing ahead of another luxury hotel development.
Monday’s teach-in will explore how migrant workers are disproportionately affected by Canada’s housing crisis while facing increasingly restrictive immigration policies. Speakers will also discuss how international pressures continue to push workers to migrate abroad in search of economic opportunities. The evening concludes with a community karaoke gathering in solidarity with hotel workers maintaining the encampment.
“This week is about more than one hotel project,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “It’s about whether City Hall will continue fast-tracking luxury developments while working people, renters, and families struggle to find homes they can afford.”
Hotel workers have set up an encampment at City Hall from July 14 – 28 to urge Council to prioritize affordable housing, protect existing communities, and ensure major development decisions serve the public interest rather than luxury projects.
WHAT: Community Teach-In & Karaoke in Solidarity with the UNITE HERE Local 40 Encampment
WHO: UNITE HERE Local 40, BAYAN BC, Gabriela BC, community supporters
WHEN: Monday, July 20, 2026; 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver
VISUALS: Encampment, community teach-in, speakers and supporters, signs
MEDIA NOTE: UNITE HERE Local 40 will hold a rally on Thursday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m. before Council’s public hearing on Holborn Group’s proposed downtown megaproject.
CONTACT: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785