Legal challenge seeks to block floating hotel in Vancouver's Coal Harbour

The north side of the Vancouver Convention Centre and Coal Harbour on May 18, 2026 Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Article content

A legal challenge asks the B.C. Supreme Court to quash the City of Vancouver’s approval to allow a 250-room floating hotel in front of the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Article content

The petition alleges the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre misrepresented how the development would affect public views before the public hearing held on April 14, 2026.

Article content

Article content

Article content

According to the petition, the renderings available to the public before the hearing depicted the floating hotel as positioned behind the Vancouver Convention Centre in a way that would not block public views from the waterfront.

Article content

Article content

However, at the April 14 public hearing, different renderings were presented, the petition alleges.

Article content

Michelle Travis, research director at Unite Here Local 40, a union that represents B.C.’s hospitality workers, said “a bait and switch would be the best way to characterize this,” and said it raised serious questions about the public consultation process.

Article content

Travis said the project must be paused so the public has all the information necessary, and that the city must hold a new public hearing to ensure “procedural fairness.”

Article content

The new renderings at the public hearing showed the floating hotel from the east walkway of the convention centre and the main entrance to the floating hotel, and depicted “significant impacts to the view,” according to the petition.

Article content

The petition also alleges that the renderings make the floating hotel appear smaller than it would actually be.

Article content

Article content

Handout rendering of public dock for Sunborn Vancouver Floatel. Photo by © Sunborn International Plc /Handout

Article content

Approval for the floating hotel, a 131 metre by 18 metre, six-level vessel attached to the convention centre, required zoning changes that doubled maximum height allowances.

Article content

Article content

“We expected a fair hearing, and residents were denied that,” said Travis. “The public needs to be meaningfully informed.”

Article content

The court case cites a B.C. Court of Appeal precedent that says the public should have sufficient time to examine proposed bylaws, and any related reports and other documents, before a public hearing.

Article content

“What struck us is that they presented different information at the public hearing. That raised concerns. We expect a fair, transparent public process in which the city and the applicant ensure that all the materials relevant to the project be made available to the public, and that wasn’t the case,” said Travis.

Article content

She said residents were denied the opportunity to “meaningfully consider” all the information required to make an informed decision.

Article content

Travis said the project has been rushed and questions whether the public interest is being served by the floating hotel project.