Day 3 of City Hall Encampment: Tenant Holds One-Day Hunger Strike as Vancouver Council Considers Displacing Affordable Housing for 190-Room Hotel

Public hearing on 75 East 8th Avenue comes as City recommends replacing affordable rental homes with extended-stay hotel during Vancouver’s housing crisis.

Vancouver, BC – A tenant facing displacement from an affordable rental building will begin a one-day hunger strike outside Vancouver City Hall on Thursday as Council prepares to hold a public hearing on a proposal that would replace existing homes at 75 East 8th Avenue (Myron Manor) with a 190-room extended-stay hotel marketed to tech nomads and other long-stay visitors.

The hunger strike marks Day 3 of the “Affordable Housing Now” encampment, where hospitality workers, tenants, and community members are calling on Council to stop hotel developments that displace existing renters, and to pause major hotel approvals until after the October municipal election to focus instead on preserving and creating more affordable homes.

The City is recommending approval despite ongoing concerns about housing affordability and tenant displacement. The tenant’s hunger strike underscores the human cost of the City’s hotel development strategy.

The City and real estate developers have argued that Vancouver urgently needs more hotel rooms. But those claims have not matched reality. FIFA World Cup exposed the fiction of the hotel room “crisis” narrative that has been used as a pretext to fast-track hotel developments. Hotel demand dropped precipitously this summer, and many hospitality workers are experiencing one of the slowest summers in years.

UNITE HERE Local 40 is joining tenants in urging Council to reject the proposal and protect affordable housing. Later this evening, the Vancouver Tenants Union and Myron Manor tenants will be holding a press conference at City Hall.

Media Availability

WHAT: Tenant hunger strike throughout the day, press conference, and public hearing on the proposed redevelopment of 75 East 8th Avenue. Vancouver Tenants Union will hold a press conference at 6pm.

WHEN: Thursday, July 16, 2026

WHERE: Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue

WHO: Tenants facing displacement and participating in a one-day hunger strike. Representatives from UNITE HERE Local 40 and other community supporters.