Posted by ReyFort Media
The motion by Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Councillor Lenny Zhou to facilitate a Filipino cultural centre is up for a vote on December 10, 2025.
The motion was referred to the December 10 meeting of city council’s standing committee on finance and services following a marathon council meeting on November 26.
In agreeing to the referral of the motion to December 10, Sim affirmed his commitment to the Filipino community to help deliver a cultural centre.
At the November 26 meeting by council, representatives from the Filipino community in the city, Metro Vancouver and across British Columbia expressed support for Sim and Zhou’s motion for a cultural centre on Main Street.
The motion is titled “Promoting Cultural Inclusion and Economic Vitality: Advancing the Main Street Filipino Cultural Centre and Hotel Project”.
The motion directs city 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”.
The measure noted that a preliminary proposal has been brought forward by PortLiving for a Main Street Filipino cultural centre and dual-tower hotel development at the two locations.
Mayor Sim and Councillor Zhou’s motion also stated that 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.
The community stands to immediately benefit from the motion by way of a temporary community space while the future is being built.
The measure also directs staff to work with Filipino stakeholders, such as, the Filipino Legacy Society, to identify a suitable city-owned or city-controlled property for “use as an interim community space”.
It also states that city staff will 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”.
For future steps, the motion notes that Filipino Legacy Society 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.
Filipino Legacy will also work with other organizations such as the One Filipino Cooperative of BC, Fil Cooperative One Housing Society, Fil-Can Cultural Heritage Society, North Peace Fil-Can Community Bayanihan Assn, Global Multicultural Affairs Society Canada, Philippine Bagong Pag-Asa of BC, Burnaby Filipino Cultural Society, Dimisilang III International Artist Group, and True North Hinirang Eagles Club.
ReyFort Media 
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