Canada news digest: a record 315-metre skyscraper has been approved, a court has approved compensation for victims of violence at Catholic schools, and the prime minister backed port expansion for trade independence.
Vancouver approves construction of the tallest skyscraper in Western Canada
Vancouver City Council has made a major planning decision that will significantly reshape the downtown core. On the morning of Monday, July 27, city officials approved a zoning change for an ambitious project worth $2.8 billion, with a 315-metre tower as its centerpiece. The building will be able to claim not only the title of the tallest in Western Canada, but also Vancouver’s first ever “super-tall” skyscraper—this is the international term for buildings 300 metres or higher. The project was developed by Henriquez Partners Architects for local developer Holborn Group and calls for the construction of four buildings: three buildings on West Georgia Street and a separate building on Abbott Street.
In addition to its record height, the complex is expected to include a 920-room hotel, which would become the largest in British Columbia, nearly 2,000 new residential units, more than 6,500 square metres of conference space, and major public amenities. Notably, the developer intends to transfer the Abbott Street tower to the city at no cost, including 378 social housing units, a daycare, and an Indigenous art gallery. Such a move is hard to overstate amid the severe housing crisis affecting Canadian megacities. Holborn Group president Joo Kim Thia described the project as a response to today’s challenges and an inspiration for future generations.
The architects drew inspiration from the nature of British Columbia—specifically, a glassy marine slug, an animal with a semi-transparent, almost lacy body. The tower’s exterior frame is designed as a diagonal grid, reminiscent of this pattern. Known as diagrid, the structure is not only visually unusual, but also provides high structural strength, allowing the building to be both light and stable.
However, the decision was not without controversy. The final vote ended 7–3: three councillors opposed the plan—Pete Fry, Sean Orr, and Lucy Malooney. Malooney said she was concerned that the project was being approved in haste, while the city council continues to review its policy on tall buildings. She also pointed to Holborn’s long-standing history with social housing: in 2008, the company bought a site from the city at Little Mountain, where a social housing complex was located, demolished it, and promised to build a replacement. But construction dragged on for more than a decade and will only be completed this year. According to Malooney, she does not believe it’s right to “reward” the developer for its long-term behaviour in the city, even though she acknowledges the value of new market-rate apartments and non-market housing.
There’s another nuance: if, during its review of the tall buildings policy, City Council sets a maximum height cap, the developer would have to reduce the height of the tower. In that case, it would remain the tallest building in Western Canada but would lose the “super-tall” status—something that would be especially symbolic for Vancouver. As noted in a BCBusiness article, the project involves more than records; it’s also an attempt to address inequality through the integration of Indigenous art and the transfer of social amenities to the city. That said, critics point out that for promises to become reality, much more is needed than attractive architecture and press releases.
BC court approves $30 million compensation for victims of violence at Catholic schools
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has put an end to one of the most high-profile cases of violence in Catholic educational institutions in Canada. Justice Simon Kowal approved a $30 million settlement that will resolve a class action against two private schools in Metro Vancouver—Vancouver College and St. Thomas More Collegiate—and against the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The case concerns decades of hidden cases of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse of students carried out by members of the Catholic order of the Christian Brothers of Ireland.
The story traces back to the notorious Mount Cashel shelter in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where in the 1950s–1970s children were subjected to horrific mistreatment. That is where the brothers were later transferred to Vancouver schools, and, as the court found, four of them were subsequently convicted of criminal offences when the crimes at Mount Cashel came to light in the 1990s. Among those named in the case are Edward Inghlish and Kevin Short, whose names have repeatedly surfaced in connection with the scandal.
More than 200 people joined the lawsuit. In approving the settlement, Justice Kowal said he had “no hesitation” about the amount, especially given the payment mechanism that has been developed. The application process will be confidential and designed to prioritize the psychological safety of survivors, sparing them the traumatic experience of giving testimony in open court.
According to the materials in the case, the abuse at Vancouver College occurred from 1976 to 2013, while at St. Thomas More it occurred from 1976 to 1989. The lawsuit was filed in 2021, gained class-action status in 2023, and a trial scheduled for 2024 was postponed to allow for settlement discussions. The settlement was reached in February 2026, and approval from the court was then required.
The court’s decision describes in detail the consequences: former students described sexual, physical, and psychological abuse that led to mental health problems, relationship and career difficulties, addictions, and a loss of faith. Notably, most of the class action participants did not oppose the amount, but many expressed disappointment that the defendants had not shown sufficient moral responsibility for the “terrible events that were allowed to happen” at these schools.
At the same time, the schools issued public statements expressing “deep concern and sympathy for the victims.” The Archdiocese of Vancouver, for its part, provided the court with statements saying it was “outraged and disappointed” that church leaders did not prevent the abuse, and instead covered up the offenders by transferring them elsewhere, showing indifference to the fate of survivors. It also emphasized a commitment to supporting victims on their path to healing.
Not all class action participants agreed to the proposed terms. Several applicants chose to opt out of the settlement in order to continue seeking justice through individual court proceedings against the defendants. This means the story involving Vancouver’s Catholic schools is apparently not over. As reported by CBC, the case is another reminder of systemic failures by church institutions—and of how crimes against children were covered up for decades, at the expense of hundreds of lives left broken. The compensation fund approved by the court is undoubtedly an important step, but for many survivors, the main goal remains not so much financial compensation as acknowledgment of responsibility by those who committed these atrocities or turned a blind eye.
Canada bets on the Port of Vancouver: a new stage in trade independence
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has publicly backed a major expansion of the Roberts Bank container terminal in Metro Vancouver, saying that the current capacity of the country’s largest port will soon no longer match Ottawa’s ambitious plans to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on the United States. The statement was made during Carney’s visit to Global Container Terminals’ facility in the Fraser River delta in British Columbia, where he toured the existing Deltaport terminal and discussed the strategic significance of the future Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project.
Carney emphasized the unique role of the Port of Vancouver in national logistics, noting that its throughput exceeds the combined capacity of the five largest Canadian ports put together. However, he said that even those volumes will not be enough in the coming decade. He called the expansion of port infrastructure and the associated transportation corridors a necessary condition for turning the country into a “stronger, more independent, and more diversified” economy. The core idea is to expand trade with Asian countries while simultaneously reducing export dependence on the American market, which has historically absorbed the lion’s share of Canadian goods.
According to the prime minister, the federal government is prepared to invest more than $10 billion in port expansion. This is expected to increase exports beyond the United States by more than 50%. Project implementation is estimated to create around 18,000 jobs during the construction phase and about 17,000 permanent jobs once the new capacity is operational. Carney also pointed to a multiplier effect: the benefits will go not only to logistics companies and exporters, but also to businesses across the country, since port expansion will spur growth in related industries—from manufacturing to agriculture.
The prime minister’s visit took place two weeks after the transport minister, Steven MacKinnon, announced at the port site that the expansion project had been transferred to the federal Major Projects Office for possible accelerated approval. The project itself includes building a new terminal with three berths, which would increase the port’s container capacity by 50%. According to MacKinnon, the expansion would add $100 billion to the annual value of trade. That scale is what led the government to treat the project as a national economic priority.
However, the project has long-standing opponents. Environmental organizations have opposed the Roberts Bank expansion for years, warning that construction and subsequent terminal operations threaten the habitat of endangered killer whales—so-called southern resident killer whales—and damage other marine ecosystems. In response to these concerns, Mark Carney said the government is working with local Indigenous peoples to distribute economic benefits while also protecting the environment. He also noted that Ottawa is already allocating significant funds to protect the killer whale and Pacific salmon populations.
As part of this project, federal authorities also promised that the Major Projects Office would begin consultations with Indigenous communities immediately. In addition, the port expansion plans include consideration of an ambitious project to build a pipeline from Alberta’s west coast, with Roberts Bank as the intended endpoint. That adds additional strategic significance to the project, but also intensifies public debate: port expansion is closely tied to oil interests, raising even more questions for environmental groups.
For audiences unfamiliar with Canadian specifics, it’s important to clarify a few points. Southern resident killer whales are a population of orcas found in waters between British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington; they are considered among the most vulnerable, and any major infrastructure project in the area automatically draws close attention from conservation advocates. The term “container capacity” refers to the number of standard shipping containers a port can handle per year or at a given time, and increasing this figure is directly tied to volumes of international trade. The Major Projects Office is a federal Canadian mechanism created to speed up approval for complex investment projects that are nationally significant but often get stuck in bureaucratic processes due to numerous regulatory requirements. Finally, the referenced $100 billion in new trade potential refers to the estimated annual value of additional freight flows the port would be able to handle after construction is completed.
Judging by Ottawa’s current direction, the message is clear: Canada aims to reduce its economic vulnerability to political and trade fluctuations in the United States and to bet on the Pacific direction. In remarks on the port site, Carney made it clear that the Roberts Bank expansion is not just an infrastructure project, but part of a broader strategy of national independence. As reported by Global News, the prime minister’s support is a serious signal to investors and Asian partners: the Canadian government is prepared to commit significant budgetary resources to creating alternative trade routes and new jobs, despite ongoing environmental risks and the need for complex approvals with Indigenous communities. The final decision on the project will now depend in large part on whether the federal government can balance economic ambitions, environmental commitments, and the interests of local communities.
