Press Release: After Holborn Vote, Local 40 Workers Say Yet Another Giveaway to Billionaire Developers
Local 40 says the vote shows that Council is not listening to the thousands of Vancouver residents speaking up about the need for a more affordable city
VANCOUVER, B.C. — After Vancouver City Council voted 7 to 3 to approve the controversial Holborn luxury megaproject, hospitality workers, tenants, and residents say the vote is yet another giveaway to a foreign billionaire developer.
The vote comes amid growing public concern over Vancouver’s housing crisis. Nearly 50,000 people have signed petitions calling on the City Council to fight for a more affordable city for working people, not selling it off to developers. Recent Stratcom polling also found Vancouver voters favor prioritizing affordable housing over additional hotel development by roughly three to one.
“Today’s vote was yet another giveaway to an international billionaire developer, but it does not change what we know to be true: Vancouver has a housing affordability crisis, not a luxury hotel crisis,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “When the City Council does not reflect the needs of the people who live and work here, we have to keep speaking up, keep showing up, and keep standing up for the future of our city.”
Earlier today, UNITE HERE Local 40 President Zailda Chan sent a letter to Mayor Ken Sim inviting him to meet with Local 40 members as soon as possible. The union said meeting with the Mayor is a top priority and urged him to hear directly from hospitality workers who have already been forced out of Vancouver, as well as those fighting to stay in the city they help keep running. That letter is available upon request.
“As a mother of three children here, I want a city where working families can afford to live, where people aren’t forced farther from their jobs,” said Sonia Chua, a hospitality worker who works at Vancouver International Airport. ”I have spoken to many residents concerned about the direction Vancouver is heading. At a time when so many families are struggling to make ends meet, I believe City Hall should be focused on policies that improve affordability and strengthen our communities.”
The campaign has challenged the argument that Vancouver urgently needs more hotel rooms, pointing to recent tourism and hotel data showing that World Cup hotel demand did not match industry claims. Local 40 has argued that City Hall should prioritize affordable, social, co-op, non-market, and workforce housing over additional luxury development and hotel incentives.
The union, along with the Affordable Housing Now! Campaign, said the vote makes public accountability even more important ahead of the October election.
Media Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785