Vancouver welcomes Cloudstreet at the Hyatt Regency, featuring Pacific Northwest cuisine from Chef Craig Sung; British Columbia is investing $20 million to double housing for families of sick children at Willow House; and the Vancouver mayoral campaign has begun, with safety, housing and the possibility of a provincial election among the key issues.
Vancouver Welcomes Cloudstreet: New Pacific Northwest Cuisine at the Hyatt Regency
In the heart of downtown Vancouver, at the intersection of Burrard and Georgia, a restaurant has opened that promises to be more than just another dining option for hotel guests and business lunches. Cloudstreet, located inside the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, features a completely redesigned interior and a new culinary direction led by Chef Craig Sung. In a city with an exceptionally vibrant restaurant scene and intense competition for the attention of local diners, the arrival of a project with this pedigree is worth noting. I attended a preview-opening dinner, and what I saw suggests an attempt to find a rare balance between the polish of a hotel restaurant and the authenticity of a chef-driven establishment.
Craig Sung is no random figure in Vancouver’s culinary scene. His career began in this city, after which he gained experience in hotel kitchens in Vancouver and Australia, working alongside Michelin-starred chefs. It was there that he refined the techniques now at the heart of his approach. Until recently, he served as executive chef at Forage, a long-standing restaurant in the West End, where local ingredients and sustainability were not marketing slogans but everyday practices. This combination of advanced culinary technique and a deep understanding of local ingredients makes him capable of taking Cloudstreet beyond the standard hotel restaurant. Sung describes his philosophy simply: Pacific Northwest cuisine is first and foremost about where we live—the ocean, forests, farms and what is harvested around us in a particular season. It sounds obvious, but British Columbia truly has a natural larder few places can match, and Sung wants the restaurant to feel connected to it. “Our menu pays homage to dense forests, rugged coastlines, crisp mountain air and the region’s harvest,” he says, and that idea runs throughout the menu, where seafood, game, vegetables and hearty comfort food designed for the cooler months appear side by side.
One of the highlights of my visit was the bison carpaccio with Jerusalem artichoke cream, a tamari-cured egg yolk and pickled shallots. It was a smart opening dish and a good indicator of the direction Sung wants to take the kitchen: local, familiar and refined, but without unnecessary complication. Equally convincing was the roasted British Columbia steelhead, served with potatoes, bok choy, fennel and apple and finished with a miso beurre blanc. Balance was the key here: the richness of the fish and sauce was tempered by the freshness and acidity of the fennel and apple, while the bok choy brought the dish back to earth. There was plenty of technique on the plate, but nothing felt like a demonstration for its own sake. Next came braised short rib—another hit, rich and comforting, exactly the kind of food one wants when Vancouver moves into autumn. The space itself is bright, polished and distinctly West Canadian: huge windows look out onto Burrard Street, warm finishing materials create an inviting atmosphere, and an impressive bar gives the restaurant energy beyond the dining room. This may be Cloudstreet’s most interesting niche. Downtown Vancouver has plenty of places for business lunches, hotel guests and pre-show dinners, but Sung appears to be trying to build something that serves this audience comfortably while also giving locals—particularly those who remember his cooking at Forage—a reason to visit.
A few points are worth clarifying for context. Steelhead is not exactly salmon, although the term is often used for rainbow trout that have spent part of their lives in the ocean; it is an important regional food fish. Beurre blanc is a classic French sauce made with emulsified butter and wine vinegar; adding miso gives it a Japanese accent, something typical of contemporary West Coast Canadian cuisine. Tamari is a Japanese soy-based sauce, often darker and richer than regular soy sauce, and is commonly gluten-free. Bison carpaccio is a bold choice, since bison is more strongly associated with the Prairies, but bison are raised in British Columbia, and the meat is lean and full-flavoured. Finally, in culinary terms, the “Pacific Northwest” encompasses British Columbia, Washington and Oregon and implies an emphasis on seafood, wild foods, berries, mushrooms and farm products.
The main insight here is that Cloudstreet is betting on hybridity. A hotel restaurant is, by definition, expected to be convenient and predictable, but Sung brings the language of fine dining and a strong local identity to the project—something rarely seen in hotel ventures of this scale. If he can maintain that balance, Cloudstreet could become more than a place for hotel guests to have breakfast; it could become a destination for Vancouverites who follow the city’s culinary scene. The chef’s key quote—“Our menu pays homage to dense forests, rugged coastlines, crisp mountain air and the region’s harvest”—sets the tone, but the real test will be whether that philosophy remains intact six months from now, when the full range of seasonal possibilities is available. Cloudstreet’s grand opening is scheduled for Friday, September 18, at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, 655 Burrard St. The restaurant is currently offering a 30 percent discount through Sunday to welcome its first guests. Hours are breakfast from 6:30 to 11 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. The review’s author is Christian Alvarez, founder of Vancouver Chefs and the ICON Dinner Series and a graduate of Northwest Culinary Academy, who combines culinary training with a passion for storytelling and photography. His article appeared on Vancouver Is Awesome, an important signal that local food media already see Cloudstreet not as a hotel formality but as an independent project worthy of attention. In a city where restaurants open and close at a dizzying pace, that kind of launch is already half the battle. The other half will depend on whether Sung’s kitchen can maintain its standards after the promotional discounts and initial excitement fade.
British Columbia Doubles Housing for Families of Sick Children: $20 Million for New Willow House
The British Columbia government has announced a $20 million investment in Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon. The funding will allow the organization to double the number of housing units available to families travelling to Vancouver from remote areas of the province so their children can receive specialized treatment at BC Children’s Hospital. In essence, the goal is to ease the financial and logistical burden on parents and allow them to remain close to their children for as long as necessary without worrying about accommodation and additional expenses. As Health Minister Ravi Kahlon said, according to the official provincial news release, “we want patients to receive care close to home, but when that is not possible, we need to make sure they are well supported.” The investment is intended to remove those barriers so families do not have to be separated.
The project is Willow House, a new Vancouver complex that will add 75 individual studios as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments designed specifically for extended stays and larger families. Shared and support spaces will also be included. Construction is expected to begin in three to four months, with Willow House set to welcome its first residents in early 2029. Finance Minister Josie Osborne emphasized that public investments exist to support people during their most difficult moments: when a child needs specialized care far from home, the last thing parents should have to worry about is where they will live or how they will cover additional costs. “This investment will help remove some of that stress so more families can stay together and focus on their child’s well-being,” she said.
The scale of the need is clear from the numbers. In 2025, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon supported more than 1,700 families from over 145 communities in British Columbia. On average, families travelled nearly 500 kilometres—498 kilometres, to be precise—to reach the treatment centre. Of those families, 33 percent came from the province’s Interior, 26 percent from northern British Columbia and 21 percent from Vancouver Island. The figures show how urgent the issue of accessible housing is for families from rural and remote communities. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Rural Communities Brittny Anderson said the investment would allow families, particularly those from remote areas, to stay with their children for as long as needed without worrying about the cost of housing in Vancouver. “This will take a significant financial burden off families’ shoulders and allow them to focus on their children’s well-being,” she added.
The history of Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon began in 1983, when the first 13-bedroom house opened in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood. It provided support to sick children and families who had to travel long distances for specialized care available only in Vancouver. Over time, demand grew to the point that the original facility could no longer meet the need. Today, the organization operates a 73-bedroom house in Vancouver, as well as family rooms in Surrey, Kamloops and Prince George. At the heart of all this work is the belief that keeping families together is an essential part of healing for children with serious illnesses.
In addition to provincial funding, the Willow House project relies on joint financial support from all levels of government, the community, and health-care and philanthropic partners. Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon CEO Richard Pass thanked the province for its commitment to supporting families across British Columbia and expressed hope that work would continue with governments, donors and partners to bring the important project to life. Vancouver-Little Mountain MLA Christine Boyle also said Ronald McDonald House changes the lives of families who must travel to BC Children’s Hospital from across the province, adding that she was proud to support the investment that will double housing capacity in Vancouver.
Several points are worth explaining for context. Ronald McDonald House is a nonprofit organization associated with the McDonald’s restaurant chain that builds and operates houses for families of children receiving extended treatment away from home. BC Children’s Hospital is British Columbia’s only specialized children’s hospital, so young patients are referred there from across the province, including its most remote regions. Willow House is the name of the new facility that will expand the existing infrastructure. An average one-way journey of 498 kilometres is roughly the distance from Prince George to Vancouver, underscoring the scale of the problem: daily travel is impossible for these families, while renting in Vancouver is extremely expensive. The $20 million investment is not simply about building bedrooms; it recognizes that family support is part of medical care. When parents can remain close to their child, it directly affects the child’s emotional well-being and recovery, while also reducing the risk that a family will forgo necessary treatment because of financial hardship. Willow House is expected to begin welcoming families in early 2029, and by then the province will have taken another step toward ensuring that children’s health care does not depend on their postal code or their parents’ ability to pay.
Vancouver Chooses a Mayor Under the Shadow of a Provincial Election
As talk of a possible early provincial election grows louder in British Columbia, Vancouver’s mayoral campaign has officially begun. Although the two elections are formally separate, their political agendas have become so closely intertwined that local candidates are already saying openly that a provincial campaign could simply “eat up” attention to the municipal race. Campaigns officially began Saturday, and voting is scheduled for October 17. Eight mayoral candidates are on the ballot, but the real contest centres on several key issues: public safety, housing affordability, trust in the current administration and the city’s ability to work with other levels of government.
Safety was the dominant theme on the first day of the campaign. A poll conducted by Save Our Streets in partnership with Research Co. found troubling figures: 53 percent of British Columbia respondents try to avoid certain areas of their communities because of safety concerns, while 48 percent worry about the safety of their families. Those findings formed the backdrop for statements from virtually all the candidates—even those who prefer to focus on housing and services.
Incumbent Mayor Ken Sim, who won the 2022 election, is betting on stability. He says that in “crazy economic times,” people “just want certainty,” and that his administration has provided consistency on public safety and affordability. Sim points to Vancouver police statistics: in 2023, his first full year in office, there were 8.58 violent offences per 1,000 people. By 2025, the figure had fallen by roughly 17 percent, to 7.09 per 1,000. However, total reported crime rose by about five percent from January through August 2026 compared with the same period the previous year. That contradiction—a decline in violent crime alongside an increase in overall crime—has become a convenient target for opponents.
Colleen Hardwick, who challenged Sim in 2022 and is running again for TEAM, describes safety problems as “intergenerational,” placing particular emphasis on violence against women. Her platform focuses on supporting people recovering from addictions and dealing with mental-health challenges, reintegrating them into communities “rather than isolating them in certain parts of the city,” and strengthening neighbourhood watch programs. Pete Fry, the Green Party candidate, also considers public safety a major concern, but proposes addressing it through housing affordability and measures to contain rising prices, as well as a local procurement strategy to support struggling businesses.
Rebecca Bligh, who was removed from Sim’s ABC caucus in February 2025 and is now running with Vote Vancouver, is building her campaign around her experience working with other levels of government. She is a city councillor and former president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. “This moment requires all levels of government to work together,” Bligh says, clearly suggesting that the current mayor has not always found common ground with the province.
Karim Allam, the Vancouver Liberals candidate and a former ABC campaign manager in 2022, is targeting a different concern: people in Vancouver feel they are “paying more and getting less” under the ABC government. “We’re seeing reduced library hours, reduced community-centre hours. And as the city densifies, the pressure on our park systems is growing,” he says. His platform calls for improved public services and support for frontline workers, along with stronger relationships with senior levels of government.
Three other candidates—Muhammad Ahmad of Bright Future Vancouver, and independents Amaury Caliman and Scott Gilbert—were not covered by CBC News on Saturday, but their platforms are known. Ahmad is campaigning on protecting renters from bulk buyers and introducing an equity-sharing program “owned by the renter,” as well as improving health care and supporting small businesses. Caliman is focused on housing and affordability, promising “more attainable homes” and improved safety on public transit. Gilbert is running on a pledge to “end the nonsense,” promising humour in municipal politics and prioritizing cleanliness and safety in the Downtown Eastside, along with affordable housing.
Perhaps the most unifying storyline of the campaign, however, is not an issue but the threat of a provincial election. Several candidates found common ground specifically in criticizing the possibility of overlapping campaigns. Bligh called it “not an ideal situation,” Hardwick said the provincial government “can cool its jets,” and Sim stated bluntly: “This is just not the time.” Fry was even more direct: “I don’t think it’s helpful at all.” Tensions have been heightened by Premier David Eby’s confirmation earlier this week that his party had hired a campaign manager and that his caucus and Elections B.C. should be “ready for an election.”
Simon Fraser University political scientist Sanjay Jeram explains why the concern is justified: “Municipal elections come a distant third after federal and provincial [elections],” he says. In other words, if a provincial campaign begins at the same time as the municipal one, voters’, donors’ and the media’s attention could shift entirely to the province, leaving local races as a political backdrop. This is particularly sensitive for Vancouver, which is dealing with a housing-affordability crisis, mental-health and addiction issues, rising crime in some neighbourhoods and mounting pressure on infrastructure. In these circumstances, a municipal campaign deprived of attention could lead to low turnout and, consequently, a mayor elected by a small share of voters.
The key insight is that Vancouver’s 2026 election risks becoming a referendum less on municipal policy than on trust in the current administration and the city’s ability to fit into a broader provincial and federal agenda. Ken Sim is trying to present himself as a guarantor of stability, but his opponents point to rising overall crime, service cuts and a lack of meaningful cooperation with other levels of government. The Save Our Streets–Research Co. poll shows that safety concerns have become widespread: 53 percent avoid certain areas, while 48 percent fear for their families. These are not merely statistics; they are electoral ground on which both “law-and-order” campaigns and “root causes” campaigns could grow, linking safety to housing, mental health and social policy. And because a provincial election could overlap with the municipal race, the outcome on October 17 will depend not only on what each candidate promises, but also on whether the city can hold voters’ attention at all.
