The government is buying up empty condos, the city kicks off an Afro-music festival, FIFA World Cup broadcasts and a ’90s retrospective, and builders are pitching a new highway to Prince Rupert that could take just 8 hours.
Mark Carney Plans to Buy Unsold Condos in Vancouver: Lifeline or Developer Subsidy?
The Government of Canada and the province of British Columbia have decided to tackle two problems at the same time: a shortage of affordable housing and a growing volume of vacant newly built units. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a partnership under which the authorities plan to purchase about 2,200 empty condos and convert them into housing through a “rent-to-own” model. The total cost of the program is estimated at roughly $1.45 billion, with the federal government contributing only 10 percent and the province covering most of the bill.
The initiative—according to CBC News—immediately sparked heated debate. Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre called it a direct subsidization of big developers and “moving money from the poor to the rich.” Carney, in response, insists the goal is to help Canadians who dream of owning a home.
The issue is indeed serious. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in Metro Vancouver there are 4,376 completed condos that have still found no buyers—76 percent more than a year ago. In the Greater Toronto Area, the situation is no better: Urbanation analysts recorded a record 4,295 unsold new builds in the first quarter of 2026. Prices are gradually falling, but for many Canadians housing remains out of reach.
Andy Yan, director of City Lab at Simon Fraser University, says what’s needed isn’t “front-end” measures but more nuanced, targeted ones, since it isn’t clear why these specific units haven’t sold. The problem could be the price, the location, or changes to immigration policy that have reduced population inflows.
Supporters of the program emphasize that the government planned to build affordable housing anyway, through the agency Build Canada Homes. Now, instead of commissioning new construction from scratch, you can buy already completed square footage. Mike Moffat, a professor at the University of Ottawa, believes that with the right deal structure this could be a win-win: if the authorities can negotiate a significant discount compared with market price, it won’t look like a developer bailout. However, there are still no details on how the negotiations will work or what discount the public coffers will receive. Moffat warns that if the government pays close to full price, then accusations of subsidizing developers would be justified.
Meanwhile, representatives from the construction industry reject the idea that they are asking for a bailout. Brad Jones of Wesgroup Properties said that if they needed help, they would ask for it themselves, but a more effective measure would be exempting first-time buyers from the GST—as has already been done in Ontario.
The program also includes a second component: $1.6 billion in federal funds that will go toward reducing municipal construction fees (development charges). In Vancouver, such fees can increase the cost of a condo by 30 percent, Wendy McNail of the Homebuilders Association Vancouver explains. She doesn’t see it as a subsidy—more like support for an industry burdened by an excessive tax load.
That said, questions remain about the logic of the buy-up. If the government purchases unsold units in a multi-unit building, what happens to the market value of neighboring lots already bought by private owners? Andy Yan raises the rhetorical question of whether such a move could lead to unfairness toward those who bought their homes earlier. He also doubts whether it’s worth intervening in the market at a moment when a bubble is just beginning—perhaps the market can correct itself through lower prices. For now, the government is keeping quiet on key details: what the buy price will be, what discount can be negotiated, and how the program will affect overall housing affordability. Without those facts, any initiative risks becoming nothing more than fuel for political arguments rather than a real solution to the housing crisis.
What to Do in Vancouver This Weekend: Afro Music, Soccer, Movies and a Detective Story (June 26–28)
This weekend in Vancouver promises to be packed. The city is offering several standout events—things you won’t want to miss. The spotlight is on the ninth annual Black Music Month festival, which this year runs under the slogan “Black to Da Future” and brings together the past, present and future of Afro-diaspora music. The event will take place at City Centre Artists Lodge on Main Street, 2111. Guests can expect performances from both emerging and established artists—from soul and rock ’n’ roll to electronic music and punk. Organizers stress that the festival is a meeting place for history and the future. One-day tickets cost $20, two-day tickets cost $40; children under 12 get in free, and there are early-bird discounts too.
At the same time, residents and visitors in Surrey can enjoy the atmosphere of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free. City officials have set up so-called “fan zones”—public spaces where matches are broadcast on large LED screens for a tournament running from June 11 to July 19. Key locations include Surrey Civic Plaza, Cloverdale Agriplex, Holland Park and South Surrey Athletic Park. As noted in an announcement from Daily Hive, this isn’t just a place to watch soccer—it’s a full festival with additional activities. Admission is free, and match schedules and zone hours are posted online.
Movie lovers are in for a summer trip back to the 1990s: the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has launched a retrospective of classic films from the decade—from “Titanic” and “Schindler’s List” to “Dazed and Confused.” Screenings take place at the VIFF Centre – Vancity Theatre on Seymour Street, 1181, and continue until August 31. The program is organized chronologically, so you can trace the evolution of 1990s cinema. Tickets are sold individually and as passes.
For those who prefer interactive entertainment, an official dinner-and-a-murder experience inspired by Netflix series is running at Glowbal Restaurant on West Georgia Street, 590. The organizers, Secret City Adventures, invite guests to solve a fictional murder by watching the story unfold and working through clues—while enjoying dinner at the same time. The event runs until August, with a start time of 7:00 p.m. Pricing varies: there are individual tickets, tables for four and VIP packages. This kind of format—a blend of theatre, a mystery hunt and dining—is becoming increasingly popular across North America, and Vancouver is not staying behind.
So these upcoming weekend plans offer something for every taste: from a cultural Afro-music festival to a big soccer celebration, from nostalgic movies to a smart detective experience. For anyone who wants to spend time not at home but out in the city, it’s a great chance to explore different sides of Vancouver life. Organizers for all events remind people to book tickets in advance and check the latest schedule, since capacity may be limited.
Pacific Fjords: A New Route That Could Cut the Trip From Vancouver to Prince Rupert in Half
In British Columbia—where the only major road northwest runs through mountain passes and winds along the coast for 18 hours—a local construction company has proposed an ambitious plan. The suggested route, called the “Pacific Fjords Connector,” would link Vancouver and the port city of Prince Rupert in just eight hours. Ray Pederson of PGE Construction, speaking in an interview with CBC Radio’s Daybreak North, said, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could drive from Prince Rupert to Vancouver in eight hours instead of eighteen?” His company has already hired a road design engineer, and, according to Pederson, the project is about halfway ready.
The idea is to build the highway not directly along the fjord-studded coast, where deep (up to 1,200-metre) inlets meet, but a bit farther inland, through mountain valleys. That would avoid having to construct massive bridges across the fjords and make building the road easier. Pederson adds that this route would be more than a transportation artery: it would also allow northerners to reach the south faster during medical or climate emergencies, and it would open access to mineral extraction. Still, he acknowledges the price tag is huge: at a minimum estimate, it’s $20 million per kilometer. “This won’t be a cheap project,” Pederson says. “But it doesn’t have to be built tomorrow. It can be built in sections—for example, from Kitimat to Bella Coola.”
Ben Bradley, a historian at the University of Guelph and author of British Columbia on the Road: Automobile Culture and the Making of the Modern Landscape, called the idea “bold.” On CBC, he noted that the region is one of the most remote and poorly served by roads in the province. In addition to two main highways (Highway 16, connecting Prince Rupert and Prince George, and the Bella Coola–Williams Lake road), the area is dominated by logging roads that run from the cutovers to the coast. Bradley stressed that building such a highway would mean overcoming a rugged mountain range with glaciers and the near-absence of infrastructure in some areas. He also pointed out that major roads like Highway 16 and the Alaska Highway were largely built for military reasons (during the Second World War), and that delivering a peaceful project on this scale would require a powerful coalition of tourism, industry and business—something the region currently doesn’t have.
Bradley doubts the government would consider a project of this magnitude anytime soon, and would likely focus on developing ports, upgrading existing roads, or adding connections along the CN rail line instead. However, he acknowledges that the concept is intriguing: “I’m interested to see what comes of it.” Pederson himself is optimistic and says he’s receiving positive feedback from locals. His goal is to prove the project is realistic, and questions about funding are “a separate conversation.” A CBC article also draws historical parallels: 40 years ago, a similarly bold highway—the Coquihalla Highway built for Expo 86—and the dangerous Sea-to-Sky Highway linking Vancouver and Whistler were considered daring ideas.
So for now, the Pacific Fjords Connector remains more of a forward-looking concept that runs up against geographic, financial and political realities. But the very fact that it’s being proposed points to a growing demand for connectivity in remote parts of British Columbia. If the project ever moves beyond the discussion stage, the highway could dramatically change transportation access along the coast—but for now, it remains a topic of debate.
