Filipino cultural centre project in Vancouver voting delayed to December

By Nash Villena, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
November 29, 2025

The Vancouver city council on Wednesday, November 26, postponed its decision on the motion to build a Filipino cultural centre and hotel on Main Street until the next standing committee meeting on December 10. (Screengrab from Filipino Legacy Society/Instagram)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The city council on Wednesday postponed its decision on the motion to build a Filipino cultural centre and hotel on Main Street until the next standing committee meeting on December 10.

The referral was made after the eight-hour public council meeting heard nearly 200 people’s opinions on the proposed project, giving the council enough time to review the concerns and suggestions provided.

The proposed 30-storey cultural centre, advanced by the non-profit organisation Filipino Legacy Society (FLS), will be built at two sites on 1940 Main St. and 143 East 3rd Avenue, featuring spaces for language learning, a gallery, and 500 hotel rooms to be built atop.

This massive project will be developed by local real estate development firm Port Living, with its CEO, Tobi Reyes, in charge.

The FLS previously told the public that the hotel component of the cultural centre will make the infrastructure self-sustaining in the years to come, showcasing the city’s multicultural diversity.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Councillor Lenny Zhou co-submitted the motion this month, in the hope of giving the Filipino community its long-held dream of having a space of their own to celebrate their culture and identity, particularly in the aftermath of the tragic April 26 Lapu Lapu Day festival.

The “time-sensitive nature” of the project, according to the motion, indicates support from an unidentified internationally affiliated hotel brand, hence “necessitates prompt action by having this proposal reviewed as a priority by staff based upon this rare convergence of opportunity, community alignment, and private-sector commitment.”

Should the motion be passed, it will direct the city staff to “prioritise” reviewing the project, work with the FLS to find an interim community space for the Filipino community, and look into the amendment of the city’s public view-protection policies in order to build the tall structure, as opposed to what the current rules allow.

Sim said Wednesday that if the motion were to be approved, it would still need to undergo a full review by city staff as well as a public hearing, following the same rigorous process as other development proposals.

British Columbia is known as home to more than 174,000 Filipino-Canadians, notably contributing to the province’s workforce in healthcare, domestic care, and skilled trades and construction.