Archive for category: News

Day 4 of City Hall Encampment: FIFA Walked Away, Workers Paid the Price: Hotel Workers to Speak Out as Vancouver Rushes More Hotel Approvals

Vancouver, BC — Hotel workers held a press conference today to discuss the gap between the promises made before the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the reality they experienced after the tournament.

City Hall and hotel developers repeatedly cited the World Cup to justify fast-tracking hotel developments, arguing Vancouver urgently needed more hotel rooms. Instead, hotel occupancy dropped sharply following the tournament, leaving many hotel workers with fewer shifts and reduced income during what was expected to be one of the busiest summers in years.

While workers bore the financial impact, hotel companies were able to protect profits by raising room rates while reducing staffing and scheduled hours. Workers will call on Vancouver City Council to consider directing a small portion of $105 million raised through the Major Events Tax to those who experienced lost hours and earnings during the tournament.

UNITE HERE Local 40 will also comment on last night’s abruptly halted public hearing for 75 East 8th Avenue. After hearing from a single speaker, Council recessed public input until July 23, even though more than 200 people have registered to speak and dozens were waiting to oppose the proposed hotel at 75 E 8th Avenue, which would displace dozens of families and tenants.

WHAT: Media availability on the impact of the FIFA World Cup on hotel workers.

WHEN: Friday, July 17 at 12pm

WHERE: Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue

VISUALS: Workers and community allies holding colourful signs, bullhorns.

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.

 

Media Advisory: Day 2 of City Hall Encampment

12pm: Workers and Residents to Deliver Petition with over 8,000 signatures to City Hall Urging Vancouver Council to Pause Approvals of Holborn’s “Supertall” Tower Project and Put Affordability First

5pm: Rally to be held at City Hall calling on Mayor Ken Sim and Council to Review and Rescind Parq Casino Slot Expansion  

VANCOUVER, BC – Today, hospitality workers, tenants, and Vancouver residents will gather at Vancouver City Hall at 12pm as part of a two-week encampment to deliver a petition signed by thousands of local residents urging Council to postpone approval of the massive Holborn condo and hotel towers until after the October election and prioritize affordable housing instead.

For years, City Hall has justified fast-tracking hotel development by claiming Vancouver urgently needs more hotel rooms for major events like the World Cup. But the hotel room shortage has not materialized. FIFA World Cup hotel demand fell far short of hype, and many hotel workers are facing one of the slowest summers in years. Yet, City Hall is rushing Holborn Group’s proposed ‘supertall’ luxury condo and hotel project through Council despite the project running afoul of the city’s own planning frameworks.

Today’s noon action will be followed by a 5pm rally. Rallygoers will be calling on Mayor Sim and Council to review and rescind their previous 5-4 decision approving the expansion of slot machines at Parq Casino arguing that it reflects the same pattern of putting developers’ needs ahead of community priorities.

“My co-workers and I can’t afford to support our families and live in this city,” said Kirsten Lebrun, a hotel worker at Pan Pacific Hotel. “We need Mayor Sim to prioritize affordability for regular working people over the needs of billionaire hotel owners.”

WHAT: As part of the two-week encampment, workers and other community members will deliver a petition to City Hall (12pm) and hold a rally (5pm).

WHEN: Wednesday, July 15

WHERE: Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver

WHO: UNITE HERE Local 40 members, hospitality workers, tenants, housing advocates, and Vancouver residents.

VISUALS: Signs and stacks of petitions, people marching and chanting with bullhorns.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Speakers will be available for interviews before and after the action.

Background: The City of Vancouver is moving forward with major hotel approvals and other significant land-use decisions while residents face a deep affordability crisis, tenants face displacement, and workers struggle with unstable hours. UNITE HERE Local 40 is calling on Council to pause major hotel approvals until after the October election so voters can hold candidates accountable for their positions on hotel development, housing affordability, and public benefits.  According to a recent poll conducted by Stratcom, Vancouver voters favour prioritizing affordable housing over more hotel development by a 3-to-1 margin.

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

Media Advisory: Workers, Tenants, Residents Launch City Hall Encampment as Council Rushes Hotel Projects and Major Rezonings Before Election

Rally and media availability at 5:30pm ahead of public hearing for Villages Plan

Hospitality workers, tenants, housing advocates and Vancouver residents will begin a two-week encampment outside Vancouver City Hall on Tuesday, to protest City Council’s misplaced priorities as Vancouver’s affordability crisis worsens.

Beginning July 14, participants will maintain a daily presence at City Hall, calling on Council to pause hotel approvals and other major land-use decisions that fail to put affordable housing first. The encampment comes as Council considers a wave of major land-use approvals ahead of its summer recess and the October municipal election.

“City Hall has lost sight of its priorities,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “Instead of focusing on affordable housing, Council is rushing through hotel projects, sweeping rezonings and other major development decisions before the election. Vancouver residents deserve a Council that puts housing affordability ahead of developer interests.”

The encampment will continue through July 28, with daily events highlighting housing affordability, hotel approvals, neighbourhood planning, and other City decisions that are moving Vancouver in the wrong direction.

Encampment Launch & Rally

What: Rally and media availability to launch two-week encampment calling on Council to pause major land-use decisions and hotel approvals until after the election.

Why: Among the projects before Council on July 14 are two mixed-use hotel developments that are exempt from public hearings. At least three more hotel proposals are expected in coming days, including 75 East 8th Avenue, which would displace dozens of tenants, and Holborn Group’s proposed downtown supertall towers. City Hall continues to fast-track hotel developments even though the anticipated FIFA World Cup hotel shortage never materialized, while the city’s housing affordability crisis deepens.

City Hall is rushing other major land-use decisions such as the proposed “Villages Plan,” which would rezone nearly 14,000 properties and establish 17 new village areas across Vancouver – a massive upzoning that would allow developers to bypass public hearings, limiting local input and undermining the democratic process.  Changes of this magnitude deserve careful public scrutiny and not a rushed approval process in the final weeks of Council’s mandate.

Who: Hospitality workers, tenants, community organizations and Vancouver residents

When: Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 5:30pm

Where: Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver

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

 

Press Release: Affordable Housing Now! Coalition Launches City Hall Campaign as World Cup Hotel Rationale Crumbles

Vancouver, BC – More than 100 hospitality workers, tenants, and community members gathered outside Vancouver City Hall yesterday for a lively rally calling on City Council to put affordable housing ahead of hotel development.

The rally highlighted a stark contradiction: while politicians argued the World Cup required a rush of new hotel approvals, many hospitality workers lost shifts during the tournament as hotel occupancy declined. Recent hotel performance data show downtown occupancy fell to levels not seen since the pandemic, calling into question claims that Vancouver faces an urgent hotel room shortage. City Hall is approving hotels faster than affordable, non-market housing at a time when affordable homes should be the priority.

“Council has been told for years that the World Cup justifies fast-tracking hotel projects,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40. “The facts now tell a different story. Vancouver doesn’t have a hotel room crisis – we have an affordability crisis.”

Meanwhile, proposed hotel projects could displace existing tenants, including residents of Myron Manor at 75 East 8th Avenue, illustrating the human consequences of replacing affordable housing with hotel development.

Participants called on City Council to postpone major hotel development approvals until after the October municipal election, arguing that voters deserve an opportunity to weigh in on proposals that could shape Vancouver’s future.

Speakers highlighted the growing pressures facing working people across the city, including soaring rents, the loss of affordable housing, and the displacement of long-term tenants. They urged City Hall to focus on protecting existing affordable housing and accelerating new non-market and below-market housing instead of advancing hotel developments.

Recent polling conducted by Stratcom shows Vancouver voters favour prioritizing affordable housing over building more hotel rooms by a 3:1 margin, reinforcing that the public’s priorities differ sharply from those of the hotel development industry.

The coalition announced that yesterday’s rally marks the beginning of a broader “Affordable Housing Now!” campaign at City Hall. Beginning Tuesday, July 14, when Council resumes its meetings, coalition members plan to maintain a daily presence at City Hall and organize a series of actions until Council wraps up this summer.

The campaign comes as City Council is expected to consider dozens of rezoning applications and major land use decisions before wrapping up business ahead of the October municipal election. Coalition members say they will be closely monitoring those decisions and pressing Council to prioritize affordable housing over projects that displace existing residents or primarily benefit private developers.

“You can’t build a world-class city by displacing the people who make it run,” said Jan Budd, a hotel worker facing displacement due to the redevelopment of her affordable rental building. “Council needs to put housing first. Vancouver’s housing crisis can’t wait. Hotels can.”

Fact Sheet – Affordable Housing Now

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