December 1, 2025 – On November 26, Mayor Ken Sim and Councillor Lenny Zhou co-submitted a motion to promote the establishment of a Filipino cultural centre in Vancouver to be coordinated by Filipino Legacy Society and PortLiving, a real estate development firm.
The Filipino community in Vancouver is hopeful it will be approved by Council because the comprehensive plan for the FCC aligns with the City’s priorities. Below is the motion as submitted:
COUNCIL MEMBERS’ MOTION
For consideration at the Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities meeting on November 26, 2025 2.
Promoting Cultural Inclusion and Economic Vitality: Advancing the Main Street Filipino Cultural Centre and Hotel Project Co-submitted by: Mayor Ken Sim & Councillor Lenny Zhou WHEREAS
1. The City of Vancouver has prioritized inclusive cultural infrastructure, economic resilience, and tourism growth through recent strategic documents, including the Vancouver Plan, the Broadway Plan, and the Economic Development Strategy;
2. The Filipino Canadian community is one of Canada’s largest and most dynamic diasporas and has long sought a permanent cultural home in Vancouver to reflect its heritage, identity, and contributions to the City; 3. In June 2023, Vancouver City Council unanimously endorsed a motion entitled “Support for the Filipino Cultural Centre in Vancouver Campaign” (Vote No. 09335), affirming Council’s support for a Filipino Cultural Centre to serve British Columbia’s Filipino community. The motion recognized the Centre’s value in enabling local cultural celebrations and performances, and in helping younger generations of Filipino Canadians born in Canada remain connected to their roots. The motion also endorsed Vancouver as a desirable location for such a centre;
4. The Filipino Legacy Society of Canada has formally been registered under the provincial Societies Act for the purpose of coordinating and advancing efforts of the Filipino community toward the establishment of a Filipino Cultural Centre, and will work in coordination with organizations such as, but not limited to, the United Filipino Canadian Associations in BC (UFCABC), the Filipino Seniors Club of British Columbia (FSCBC), the Filipino Seniors Club of British Columbia (FSCBC), Cebuano Society of Canada, Diversity and Inclusion Support Group of BC, and the Seniors Intercultural Society of BC;
5. A preliminary proposal has now been brought forward, by PortLiving, for a Main Street Filipino Cultural Centre and dual-tower hotel development that spans two sites in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, 1940 Main Street and 143 East 3rd Avenue, both of which are situated within a 5-minute walk of the future Mount Pleasant Broadway Line station;
6. The preliminary proposal includes:
• A Filipino Canadian Cultural Centre, offering language and cooking classes, event and gallery space, and the largest Filipino art collection outside the Philippines;
• A dedicated heritage landmark commemorating and honouring Filipino history and culture;
• 500 much-needed hotel rooms through two internationally affiliated brands serving both traditional and extended-stay visitors;
• Residential-style hotel suites close to St. Paul’s and Vancouver General Hospitals to support visiting families and long-stay patients; and
• A privately funded model, with a Letter of Intent in place with an internationally affiliated brand and no anticipated requirement for City funding;
7. The project presents unique economic development and tourism benefits, consistent with the Broadway Plan’s intent to strengthen Mount Pleasant Centre as a vibrant, transit-connected, mixed-use hub for jobs, housing, culture, and amenities;
8. The project aligns with multiple City priorities, including:
• Delivering cultural and community infrastructure without the use of City funds;
• Increasing hotel supply and diversity amid a growing accommodation shortage;
• Advancing Reconciliation and UNDRIP goals through partnerships rooted in respect, healing, and inclusion;
• Supporting Mount Pleasant’s multicultural identity, where Tagalog is among the most spoken languages; and
• Strengthening Vancouver’s position as a global cultural and convention destination;
9. The time-sensitive nature of this hotel project proposal, as per the Letter of Intent with the internationally affiliated brand, 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; and
10. While one of the towers may impact the Main Street view cone, options exist to explore amendments to the view cone and massing adjustments through a review process that recognises the proposal as a priority project with citywide benefits.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
A. THAT Council direct staff to prioritize the review of the proposed Main Street Filipino Cultural Centre and Hotel project across the two sites at 1940 Main Street and 143 East 3rd Avenue, as well as any recommended amendments to the Main Street view cone, given its significant cultural, social, economic, and - 3 - tourism merits, as well as the time-sensitivity of the proposal.
B. THAT staff be directed to work with the applicant to refine the proposal in a manner that:
• Respects key view cone objectives to the extent feasible, including options for re-massing or podium redesign;
• Ensures high-quality urban design and public realm integration, consistent with the Broadway Plan and Design Guidelines;
• Maintains the applicant’s commitment to deliver the Filipino Cultural Centre at no cost to the City; and
• Secures the construction and delivery of the Filipino Cultural Centre on the proposed lands as part of any future rezoning application that may be brought forward to Council for its consideration.
C. THAT staff be directed to process and prioritize any application for rezoning and report back on progress no later than Q1 2026, and to bring the application forward to the earliest available Public Hearing for Council’s consideration and deliberation.
D. THAT Council direct the General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability to engage with the applicant, and other cultural stakeholders to ensure the Centre’s programming, governance, and design reflect the values of inclusivity, authenticity, and intergenerational connection.
E. THAT Council direct staff to work with Filipino stakeholders, such as, the Filipino Legacy Society of Canada to identify a suitable City-owned or City-controlled property for use as an interim community space, and report back to Council on a potential location that may be leased to the Filipino Legacy Society at a nominal lease rate, subject to Council approval of such a lease as a grant.
F. THAT Council direct staff to work in partnership with the Mayor’s Office and the Filipino Legacy Society of Canada in coordination with other organizations such as, but not limited to, the National Pilipino Canadian Cultural Centre (NPC3), the United Filipino Canadian Associations in BC (UFCABC), and the Filipino Seniors Club of British Columbia (FSCBC), to assemble a transitional working group to assist with the development of a governance and programming framework for the Filipino Cultural Centre;
AND FURTHER THAT the existing agreement between the Filipino Legacy Society and the project proponent will be disclosed to the transitional working group on a confidential basis.
Editor of Canadian Filipino Net
Eleonor R. Laquian has written four bestselling books and co-authored four others with her husband, Prod Laquian. Over ten years, she served in various capacities at the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Asian Research: as manager of administration and programs, editor and chair of the publications committee, and primary researcher of its Asian Immigration to Canada project.
She did her BA degree in journalism at Maryknoll College in the Philippines, a master’s degree in public administration at the University of the Philippines, and postgraduate studies at the School of Public Communications at Boston University in the US.
Before immigrating to Canada, she worked with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization, and the UN Information Center. She was a researcher and bureau manager of The New York Times in Beijing, China from 1984 to 1990. She was the first and only Filipino to conduct a nationwide survey of Filipinos in Canada, in 1972, for her master’s thesis at UP. It was published as A Study of Filipino Immigrants in Canada, 1952–1972.
She updated the survey in 2005 for a book, co-authored with her husband Prod: Seeking a Better Life Abroad: A Study of Filipinos in Canada, 1957–2007,published by Anvil Publishing in Manila. She and Prod have visited over a hundred countries for work and pleasure. They immigrated to Canada in 1969.
Canadian Filipino Net is an independent, non-profit digital magazine produced by volunteer writers, editors, and webmasters. Your donation will go a long way so we can continuously publish stories about Canadian Filipinos. Click on a donate button and proceed either through PayPal, Debit, or Credit Card.
