Protesters block Vancouver city hall, forcing councillors to postpone meeting

Vancouver's city council meeting had to be postponed Tuesday morning after protesters surrounded the doors of city hall and refused to let people in. 

"We wanted to send a message to the city that we can't do business as usual," said Lama Mugabo, a member of the Our Homes Can't Wait Coalition that organized the event. 

The group was there to bring attention to a building being constructed at 58 W. Hastings St. In 2016, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson pledged to turn the site, then an empty lot, into 100-per-cent social housing. 

"Part of this is making sure this building is available to people who are on welfare, who are on pensions," he said at the time.

'Pressure on our communities'

However, in 2018 city council voted to approve the building with just one-third of the units priced at shelter rates — which, because it will be owned by a non-profit group, co-op or government, means it still qualifies as 100-per-cent social housing, based on Vancouver's housing strategy.

"If they really felt this was a priority, they could find the money. If they build this at one-third, it's going to put pressure on our communities as more people become communities," said Mugabo. 

"They don't understand the gravity of the problem or they don't care."

After some time waiting outside, councillors agreed to retreat to another building in hopes of reconvening later. 

Protesters were outside city hall, with police also on scene, for several hours, before councillors returned for the public part of their meeting in the afternoon.