Archive for category: News

Vancouver Municipal Election: UNITE HERE Local 40 Endorses Kareem Allam for Mayor; COPE slate for Council

Vancouver Municipal Election: UNITE HERE Local 40 Endorses Kareem Allam for Mayor; COPE slate for Council, School Board & Park Board

UNITE HERE Local 40, the union for hospitality workers, has endorsed a slate of candidates for Vancouver Mayor and City Council.

Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40: “In this highly competitive municipal election, Local 40 endorsed candidates who listened to our members and understood the need for more affordable housing, not more hotels, so workers can afford to live in the city where they work.”

Kareem Allam, the Vancouver Liberals candidate for Mayor of Vancouver, listened to hotel workers and stood with them. He understood members’ concerns over ABC’s push to prioritize hotel development over housing affordability and backed up his words with action by showing up at City Hall multiple times to rally alongside our members to stand up for the issues that matter to working people.

Sean Orr, COPE candidate running for re-election, stood with Local 40 members in opposition to major hotel proposals, including Holborn Group’s proposed supertall luxury towers. COPE candidates put support for working people at the forefront of their agenda. Local 40 endorses the full slate of COPE candidates to Council, School Board and Parks Board.

Local 40 Endorsements for City of Vancouver

Vancouver Mayor:

Kareem ALLAM – Vancouver Liberals (#56)

 

Vancouver City Council:

Sean ORR – COPE (#111)

Devyani SINGH – COPE (#121)

Chloe LESLIE – COPE (#124)

Solomon YI-KIERAN – COPE (#155)

Stephanie SMITH – Greens (#147)

Annette REILLY – Greens (#102)

Camil DUMONT – Greens (119)

Jessica WALTON – Vancouver Liberals (#118)

Armor VALOR – Vancouver Liberals (#125)

Devin CLEMENS – Vancouver Liberals (#128)

 

School Board:

Suzie MAH – COPE (#304)

Melanie CHENG – COPE (#314)

Derrick O’ KEEFE – COPE (#323)

Gwen GIESBRECHT – COPE (#324)

 

Park Board:

T’uy’t’tanat Cease WYSS – COPE (#203)

Jamie HAN – COPE (#205)

Tamiko SUZUKI – COPE (#206)

Sacia BURTON – COPE (#214)

 

Media Advisory: Behind the Scenes at North America’s “#1 Airport”: Frontline Workers at Canadian Skies Hospitality to Hold Panel as Airport Privatization Looms

Richmond, B.C. — Frontline airport concession workers employed by Canadian Skies Hospitality Group, which operates White Spot and Triple O’s locations at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), will hold a worker panel this Thursday, October 1, to address their months-long fight for a first collective agreement. While Vancouver Airport Authority heavily promotes its status as North America’s #1 Airport and its certification as a Living Wage Employer, a major gap persists: hundreds of low-wage concession workers remain excluded from these living wage standards.

This panel comes at a critical moment for the airport’s future. Following the federal government’s recent announcement to open YVR up to private investment and long-term corporate concessions, workers will discuss how airport concession workers already face challenging working conditions, low wages, and precarious working conditions under YVR’s current non-profit model.

Members of the community, labour allies, and media are invited to hear directly from the workers fighting for a fair contract.

WHAT: Worker Panel on YVR Airport and Canadian Skies Hospitality Group

WHEN: Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 5:30PM

WHERE: Richmond Caring Place, 7000 Minoru Blvd (Room 345), Richmond, BC

WHO: Newly unionized YVR airport concession workers and members of UNITE HERE Local 40.

MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785

 

Press Release: Residents take Vancouver to court over approval of Holborn’s proposed supertall tower project

VANCOUVER, BC – Five Metro Vancouver residents are taking the city and Holborn Group to court, seeking to quash Vancouver City Council’s recent approval of Holborn’s proposed multi-block downtown development project.

The group filed a petition in BC Supreme Court seeking judicial review of Council’s decision to approve the rezoning application for the project, which includes two 68-storey residential towers, a 79-storey hotel, and a related social housing project.

The petitioners, Robert Bader, Luis Antonio Cervera Bojorquez, Gulzar Grewal, Kabir Madan, and George Temple, had each registered to speak against the project’s rezoning at the city’s public hearing. They are challenging Council’s decision on the basis that the public hearing process failed to provide residents with a meaningful opportunity to participate. The petition also contests the city’s failure to disclose NAV Canada’s concerns that the proposed 1,034-foot hotel tower interferes with airspace or provide a rational for why the project departed from the city’s social housing policies.

“Residents deserve a fair chance to be heard before Council makes a decision of this magnitude. We deserve to know the facts, respond to the information before Council, and to know that our concerns have been genuinely considered,” said Robert Bader, a Vancouver resident and co-petitioner.

Petitioners argue that the hearing procedure on July 23 deprived residents of a meaningful opportunity to make their case, as the Charter and the City’s own procedures intend. Council unexpectedly skipped people on the speakers’ list without explanation, and the hearing was pushed until nearly 1:00 a.m. on a weeknight, rather than adjourned to a time when the public would be reasonably available to speak.

They also argue the city failed to provide material information in advance of the public hearing. It was only during the hearing that city staff revealed NAV Canada’s concerns that the project interferes with federal airspace and could require an 88-foot height reduction to the tallest tower. The developer acknowledged that this could require substantive changes to plans for the project.

The group is also challenging unexplained departures from the city’s established affordable-housing policies. They allege the application reduced the proposed social-housing floor area well below the city’s 20% targets under its Transit-Oriented Areas and Sustainable Large Developments policies, without justification for the departure.

Mayor Ken Sim and ABC councilors approved the proposed supertall tower project rather than send the project back to staff. Councilors Sean Orr, Pete Fry and Lucy Maloney voted in opposition.

The petitioners are asking the court to quash Council’s July 27 decision and to send the matter back to the city for reconsideration.

Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785

Job Posting: Vancouver Municipal Election – Get Out The Vote Specialists

Job description:

Do you care about democracy? Come join us and help get Vancouver out to vote in the upcoming municipal election!

Participation in local elections is an important part of a strong democracy, but time and time again the majority of Vancouver voters stay home on election day. For the 2026 election, we have a chance to change that.

Are you a people-person? Do you care about civic participation? We’re looking to build a team for a Temporary 4-6 Week Contract for Get Out the Vote Specialists.

This role will involve signature gathering and street petitioning, door knocking, and phone banking to Vancouver residents to encourage their participation in the election.

This is a non-partisan project, aiming to get at least 50% of Vancouver voters to turn up and vote this October.

Qualifications:

This is an entry-level position. No experience with canvassing or signature gathering is necessary. Successful applicants, however, will have the following characteristics:

  • Able to work outdoors – rain or shine!
  • Punctual and reliable
  • Good communication skills
  • Outgoing personality
  • Enjoys meeting and talking to people
  • Energetic and enthusiastic

Terms of Employment:

  • The Get Out the Vote Specialist role is 25-40 hours/week
  • The project will start mid-September, and go through to election day October 17th 2026.
  • Must be willing to work afternoons and evenings on weekdays, with more availability for morning shifts on weekends
  • Access to a personal vehicle for transportation is an asset

Pay: CA$25.00 – CA$30.00 per hour, depending on experience

Application question:

  • Do you have access to a personal vehicle?
  • Do you have a valid class 5 driver’s license?
  • Please outline the days/times you would be unavailable to work during the 5 week period between September 15 and October 17. Please be specific.

Work Location: In-person in neighbourhoods across Vancouver.

Please apply via email to: [email protected]

 

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