MONTREAL – Keelan White caught a pair of touchdown passes for the Ottawa Redblacks in a 27-12 win over the Montreal Alouettes in a C-F-L pre-season game Friday.

Redblacks quarterback Jake Maier connected with White twice in the first half with on 12-yard and four-yard touchdown throws. Quarterback Bryson Barnes scored a nine-yard rushing touchdown.

Maier completed 10 of 14 pass attempts for 155 yards. Barnes was good on all eight of his throws for 109 yards.

Paul Geelen kicked field goals from 40 and 26 yards for Ottawa, which led 17-4 at halftime at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. Cade McDonald had four catches for 73 yards for the Redblacks.

Shomari Lawrence scored a two-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter for Montreal. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt, but was successful from 21 yards in the first half.

Alouettes quarterback Dustin Crum completed 15 of 20 passes for 130 yards.

CFL pre-season games continue Saturday with the defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders scheduled to host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Edmonton Elks visit the B.C. Lions and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Toronto Argonauts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Warning: This story contains sensitive and graphic content that may be disturbing to some readers who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence. Discretion is advised.

A well-known Montreal civil lawyer has been denied bail after facing multiple criminal charges, including child luring and sexual assault.

Daniel Rochefort, 72, was refused release Friday following a bail hearing at which he testified, along with another person supporting of his release. A publication ban covers the evidence and arguments presented in court.

Rochefort was first arrested by Montreal police on May 7 and charged the following day with child luring and making child sexual abuse material.

Police allege he communicated online with an undercover investigator posing as a 12-year-old girl while attempting to commit a sexual offence.

During a second court appearance on May 11, Rochefort learned he was facing nine additional charges. The most serious allegation claims he sexually assaulted a minor between 2007 and 2012. Some of the alleged offences are said to have taken place in Montreal, while others allegedly occurred in a foreign country.

Rochefort showed little reaction in court as Quebec Court Judge Andrée Perrault ruled he would remain detained, citing the Crown’s evidence and concerns he posed a danger to the public.

Crown prosecutor Marissa Maria Kazadellis said the evidence presented was sufficient to justify detention, though she could not discuss specifics due to the publication ban.

Police say there may be additional potential victims and are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Rochefort is described as a white man, five feet, eight inches tall and weighing about 77 kg, with white hair and blue eyes. Police say his appearance has changed over time and have released two photos to aid identification.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim, or who has information, is urged to contact police or reach out anonymously through Info-Crime Montréal.

A trial date has not yet been set.

Support is available for people who have been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services. Visit the Department of Justice’s Victim Services Directory for a list of resources in your area. 

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Three men died on Thursday in a boating incident off the shore of Savary Island.

Powell River RCMP, on the Sunshine Coast, received a call at approximately 11 p.m. from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre that a boat had capsized approximately 500 to 1,000 metres offshore of Savary.

Two men had made it to the shore, police said, but three others remained missing. Police said the men were clam fishing in the area.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre had received a report at 10 p.m. when a boat failed to return to Lund Harbour, on the Sunshine Coast, as expected.

In response, search and rescue resources were immediately deployed, including a Powell River Coast Guard lifeboat, an inshore fast rescue craft from Cortez Bay and an Air Force Kingfisher aircraft from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron based in Comox, RCMP said.

Powell River RCMP, in coordination with Savary Island Fire, conducted shoreline searches, and the three missing men were located deceased.

The two men who survived were transported back to Powell River and then to the hospital.

The Powell River RCMP is assisting the BC Coroners Service with the ongoing investigation into the incident.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Security is being increased along Lakeshore Drive as the City of Penticton addresses concerns about crime and social disorder in one of the city’s busiest waterfront areas on Okanagan Lake.

This week, city council approved nearly $130,000 in funding to improve safety measures in the area, including the installation of additional CCTV cameras.

“Whatever it takes,” said Penticton resident Josh Webster. “I think it’s needed, much needed.”

Some residents acknowledge privacy concerns surrounding additional surveillance but support the plan.

“As long as it’s used for the right things, it’s OK,” said Brad Fyfe, who lives in the neighbouring community of Naramata.

The move is being welcomed by local businesses, many of which say break-ins and vandalism have become a recurring problem.

“Unfortunately, some of the businesses in this area get broken into every year,” said Jamin Brietzke, who operates Penticton Bike Rentals. “I think if people are under the idea that they’re being watched, then it could prevent that.”

While the city says violent incidents have declined, calls related to vandalism, property damage and break-ins are at their highest levels since 2019.

“What our data shows is that July and August is when we see the peak of these calls,” said Julie Czeck, general manager public safety and partnerships with the City of Penticton. “It’s the priority location for the city to maintain the enjoyability and also safety and enjoyment for everybody.”

According to the city, police responded to more than 900 calls for service in the Lakeshore Drive area in 2025, the highest call volume in six years.

“We spent over $400,000 over the last five years responding to damage and this is us being proactive in stewarding the assets for the community,” Czeck said.

Part of the funding is going to the Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re certainly hearing concerns, particularly from smaller businesses like motels and restaurants,” said chamber executive director Michael Magnusson.

Magnusson said the additional $25,000 grant will help the chamber expand its existing camera program.

“What we’re doing is we’re coming in, with the help of the city, to provide them with an additional resource to protect their property…particularly in vulnerable areas or where there have been high calls for service from the RCMP or the fire department,” Magnusson said.

In addition to the additional CCTV cameras, funding will also allow for the creation of a policing hub at the Jubilee Pavilion.

The new hub is intended to increase the visibility of officers in the area through bike patrols, foot patrols and RCMP presence along the waterfront, with the future goal of having uniformed officers stationed there.

“Residents have told us they want to see the visibility of law enforcement,” Czeck said. “Establishing this hub will allow that to occur naturally.”

The new cameras will be installed in the coming weeks.

The new policing hub is expected to be up and running by the end of June.

 

 

 

 

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Edmonton’s fifth season — road construction — has arrived.

While the city is outlining what people can expect from the more than 200 projects underway, delays aren’t new for some residents.

Driving through the city’s southwest, it’s not uncommon to see heavy traffic — and a lot of it.

“Everyone is frustrated, everyone is annoyed,” said Janna Houle, a longtime resident of Windermere.

People living in the Terwillegar and Windermere areas say they’ve been dealing with delays and construction all year and enough is enough.

Houle says what used to be a 30-minute drive has turned into a two-hour nightmare due to traffic and work in the area, especially as work to expand the Terwillegar Drive overpass has ramped up on either side of Anthony Henday Drive.

“We’re backed up all the way down Terwillegar Drive past the (Anthony) Henday, or if we try to take an alternate route, Rabbit Hill Road, we’re also backed up there now, too,” said Houle.

“It’s lanes blocked off, but we’re not really seeing construction, so I don’t know it’s a lot of lanes blocked off and nothing happening all day.”

It’s one of many places in Edmonton undergoing a lot of construction to deal with the city’s growing population — the multi-year expansion of Terwillegar Drive from the Whitemud to the Henday is just one of several projects.

The city says they’re aware of the issues near Windermere and surrounding neighbourhoods.

The southwest corner of the city has been the fastest-growing area of Edmonton for about 25 years.

“It’s the whole reason why we’re there doing the work. If it wasn’t for that growth, we wouldn’t have to do this project and to get this project done, we do have to include traffic impacts as part of that work,” said Jason Meliefste, branch manager of infrastructure delivery with the City of Edmonton.

“One of the things that we’re going to be doing is providing additional capacity as soon as we possibly can and looking at ways to accelerate the components, specifically around the intersections.”

The city says there are currently hundreds of active projects in Edmonton, and the vast majority are on schedule and on budget.

The city has allotted more than $7 billion in the budget for active projects, which include multi-year projects, as well as maintenance and renewal.

While some work is just starting, several other projects are nearing completion.

City staff say the accelerated roadwork strategy used on projects like Stony Plain Road last year has helped — like at the Wellington Bridge on 102 Avenue.

Construction on the bridge in Glenora was originally set to take two years, but it is now ahead of schedule and will be finished this fall.

“This is something that council talked about last year. We tested it out last year. It worked, and it’s going to allow us to do more projects this year in a thoughtful way,” said Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack.

The city says the years-long major work on Whitemud Drive at the Rainbow Valley Bridge will be completed this year, along with the Dawson Bridge rehabilitations.

Work on the Yellowhead freeway conversion and the Terwillegar Drive expansion is visibly progressing, along with rehabilitation of Jasper Avenue.

As the Capital Line South LRT extension and the Valley Line West LRT construction continues, there will also be traffic impacts to communities like Twin Brooks and the Henday in the west end.

Staff say they’re doing what they can to alleviate the construction headaches people are feeling.

“We take no enjoyment from being on a construction site for four or five years, if we can be there quicker,” said Meliefste.

“Get in, get out, get done, that’s really kind of what our focus is.”

For Houle, she hopes that’s the case because she can’t wait much longer.

“There needs to be some kind of collaboration. It can’t all be happening at once. Different roadways closed all the time,” she said.

The city has created a traffic disruptions map so drivers can plan ahead to use alternate routes.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes was selected to the NBA’s all-defensive second team Friday.

Barnes was the third player in Raptors history to earn NBA defensive team honours after Kawhi Leonard in 2019 and OG Anunoby in 2023.

Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.4 steals and 33.5 minutes in 80 games this season, which were all starts.

Barnes also had 114 steals and 116 blocks and led the league in clutch-time blocks with nine.

His combined 230 blocks and steals ranked second in the league behind Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.

Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons, Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Derrick White of the Boston Celtics were chosen for the defensive all-star first team.

The Thunder’s Cason Wallace, Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo, Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks and Anunoby, who now plays for the New York Knicks, joined Barnes on the second team.

A global media panel of 100 voters selected the NBA’s all-defensive team. Players received two points for each first-team vote and a point for each second-team vote.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A third-party review into the safety and security of Saskatchewan hospitals, led by a former police chief, is expected to involve more than two dozen people and cost the province $1 million, according to the health ministry.

On Thursday, the province announced that former Saskatoon police chief Clive Weighill, who fronted the force for 11 years until 2017, will be taking the helm of the review, leading a team of around 30 people to review current safety practices at Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) facilities and provide recommendations to improve safety for patients, visitors and staff.

Many on the team are retired police officers, while others are experts in specific areas, including infrastructure issues, screening devices and cameras, said Weighill.

“We also have some people who can do very good interviews with stakeholders to make sure we get the proper information,” Weighill said in an interview with Global News.

Saskatchewan’s health ministry announced in January it was launching a review into hospital safety at the request of the SHA following a string of violent incidents and mounting concerns at facilities across the province.

The province did not attach a dollar figure to the review when revealing the contract recipient on Thursday, instead sharing it with Global News upon request.

Weighill said his team will visit 26 hospitals across the province — from Estevan, Sask., in the south to Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask., in the north — as part of a review expected to consist of three or four phases.

The first phase will focus specifically on information gathering and stakeholder engagement, said Weighill, which will involve gaining a grasp of the current state of SHA facilities over the next two months, comparing results with those of other jurisdictions across Canada and developing recommendations.

As for stakeholder engagement, Weighill said he plans to talk to unions, protective services officers, First Nations organizations, and new immigrants to Canada.

“Because certainly there’s some social, cultural, and language barriers that might be affected here,” he said.

He said his team has already reached out to the First Nations Health Ombudsperson and set up a meeting for next week, and also plans to engage with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, individual tribal councils, Métis-Nations Saskatchewan and the SHA’s elders advisory committee.

The review will also look at training and policies and procedures for protective services officers, along with legislation and regulatory issues.

The announcement of the review also came weeks after the death of 36-year-old Trevor Dubois, who died on Jan. 9 following an altercation with security staff at Royal University Hospital (RUH).

But the review will not investigate the circumstances of the incident, as it is “not in our scope,” said Weighill. Instead, previous incidents and complaints from the last five years will be reviewed at a high level to identify trends, he said.

“Those past happenings will not be investigated by us. We’re not doing a specific investigation into individuals, we’re looking at the whole service-wide review.“

The review is expected to take six months, with a final report including recommendations due to the ministry’s office by Oct. 31.

In the meantime, the health ministry says the SHA has put out a request for proposals for third-party security services at a number of facilities across the province.

However, unions representing protective service officers across the province say these positions are continually going unfilled because of poor retention.

“The wages are not competitive,” said Jason Monteith, SEIU-West vice president.

“When people do get hired, they’re being recruited and they’re actually going to police services, corrections, so they’re not staying in health care because the skills that these workers bring are incredible.”

Monteith adds that, due to poor retention, security workers are often short-staffed, leaving them vulnerable and that the situation has not improved since concerns were initially raised earlier this year.

“We’re still hearing from our officers on a regular basis that it hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s continuing to get worse,” he said.

“The number one priority is we want our officers to be safe, but we also want to make the patients, the clients and the residents are safe as well.”

Currently, Weighill says he is putting teams together and drafting contracts for those who are not already contracted with Buckingham Security Services Ltd., the company awarded the contract by the province.

Weighill said he was contracted by the company specifically for the review and was given the title of executive director.

After leaving the Saskatoon Police Service, Weighill served as Saskatchewan’s chief coroner until his retirement in early 2024. Since then, he says he has been working in the private sector and feels his past makes him well-equipped for the job.

“I know the province of Saskatchewan, I certainly know security and safety from my policing career, so I think I have a good rounded-out experience,” he said, adding that he feels the task is an important one, considering he or his family could be at the hospital and would want to ensure they are safe.

Once teams are established, Weighill said he plans to schedule interviews with stakeholders.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are back at Griffiths Stadium this week, but this time, it’s not just another training camp practice.

On Saturday, the Riders will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a historic matchup that marks the first CFL game played in Saskatoon in 35 years.

Head coach Corey Mace says the Blue Bombers will provide an immediate challenge for his team.

“These guys present a lot of things defensively that they’ll have to find the answer to. We’re going to get a mental test, we’re going to get a physical test,” said Mace.

One of the biggest decisions heading into the game will be how much playing time veteran quarterback Trevor Harris receives versus opportunities for younger talent.

Harris says he’s prepared for whatever role the coaching staff chooses.

“I have an insane amount of trust for Corey Mace as a head coach… whatever he prescribes is what I’m going to do. I’m prepared to play all four quarters,” said Harris.

The game represents a major moment for football fans in Saskatoon.

Griffiths Stadium, normally home to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, has undergone extensive preparations to handle CFL-level crowds and production demands.

The upgrades go beyond the field itself.

Event organizers have brought in what they describe as the largest mobile jumbotron in North America, transported from Edmonton specifically for the game.

Fans can also expect a festival-style atmosphere surrounding the stadium, with the promenade area set to be filled with activities and tailgate-style gatherings ahead of kickoff.

The game is nearly sold out, with only standing-room tickets still available heading into the weekend.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Naheed Nenshi’s is not mincing words.

“Not only is it lies, not only is it gaslighting, it treats Albertans like they’re idiots and Albertans are not idiots,” the Alberta NDP Leader said on Friday.

The Opposition leader held a news conference to address Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to add a question to the referendum in October that could trigger another, future referendum on the province’s independence.

“The person who is driving this referendum, the person who needed to make this referendum happen is the premier,” said Nenshi.

“She pretends to be an innocent bystander. But last night the mask slipped.”

Surrounded by dozens of reporters waving Canadian flags, and flanked by former Canadian Olympian Catriona Le May Doan at a Friday morning press conference in Calgary, Nenshi accused Smith of portraying herself as being “fiercely loyal to Alberta and Canada” while at the same time he claims her first loyalty is to Alberta separatists.

“She understands that if she comes out as a full-throated separatist, she loses the election, but if she comes out as a full-throated Canadian, she loses her job as leader of the UCP — so let’s be extremely clear, the separatists got her the job as leader, they installed her as the premier.

“We always knew that she owed them something. We never knew precisely what the deal was or what she owed them, and now we know what she owed them was a referendum this fall.”

In a provincially-televised paid address Thursday evening, Smith announced she’s adding a question about Alberta’s independence to the referendum ballot that Albertans are scheduled to vote on in October.

But it is not a simple tick of a “yes” or “no” box.

Instead, Albertans will be voting on a question that asks: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”

The first part of the question is taken from the “Forever Canadian” citizens petition, signed by about 400,000 Albertans asking, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”

The second part of the question added in an apparent attempt to appease the reported 300,000 Albertans who signed a citizen petition circulated by the separatist group “Stay Free Alberta.”

It proposed a referendum asking the question, “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”

But that petition, which hasn’t been verified by Elections Alberta, was struck down by the Court of King’s Bench over its failure to consult with First Nations over how Alberta’s independence would affect treaty rights.

Smith has promised to appeal the ruling but said the process could take years. The fall referendum still gives Albertans a chance to have their say, while giving her government the direction it needs, she said.

Speaking at her own Calgary news conference on Friday afternoon, Smith said she will be voting for Alberta to remain in Canada.

She claimed she has been actively campaigning to save the country from the moment she got elected by working to resolve disputes with Ottawa over such issues as immigration, gun control, pipelines and the environment.

“We have an incredible future ahead for our country and province. We are turning the tide on the last 10 years of disastrous policy from Ottawa that held our province back, now that we have a federal government that is starting to work with us in the spirit of cooperative federalism, to undo the damage caused by the previous government,” Smith added.

Asked if her failure to address the demands of many separatists and hold a referendum with a clear-cut question on Alberta’s independence — with some now calling for her to be removed as leader of the UCP — Smith said, “This doesn’t get decided on an AGM (annual general meeting) convention floor by a few thousand delegates.”

“I would say that I’m much more interested in what Albertans as a whole have to say when you are a party leader — yes, that’s one aspect, but you also have to govern for all the people.”

Smith has maintained she supports “a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”

However, Calgary-based pollster Janet Brown said, “It’s been pretty clear from the beginning that the premier wanted to have a referendum on separation” because her political future depends on it.

“Our polling says that more than half of UCP supporters are also separatists. So she’s walking a delicate tightrope with her base — half of conservatives would vote for separation, half not. Now that makes it tricky for her,” said Brown.

“The other way to look at that, though, is those separatists aren’t leaving the UCP. They’re not forming their own party. So although Danielle Smith says she’s a non-separatist, she’s keeping them in the fold because she’s addressing their concerns.”

With support for Alberta’s independence consistently polling between 25 and 30 per cent amongst all Albertans, and turnout in provincial elections typically low (59.5 per cent in 2023), Brown said many are worried about a “Brexit scenario.”

“It looks like a referendum wouldn’t pass now, but if the messaging is wrong, if the separatists become inflamed, if people who are sitting on the bubble feel like they’re being unheard, and if voter turnout is not what we expect — then you could see this scenario where the separatist sentiment could approach 50 per cent.”

If that happens, it could mean Smith suffers the same fate as former British prime minister David Cameron. He was forced to resign after the United Kingdom unexpectedly voted in 2016 to leave the European Union.

A “Brexit” scenario is a concern of Alberta’s NDP leader.

“You know, there are many, many, many people across Britain who woke up the day after Brexit 10 years ago and said, ‘Oh crap, I should have voted,'” said Nenshi.

“This (referendum) wasn’t our battle. This battle was thrust upon us, but it is the battle of our lives. We will do everything we can.

“We will use every ounce of energy we have in every blood cells, in every one of our bodies saying we are Canadian and we will always be Canadian.”

Asked if she will resign if the pro-independence side wins the referendum — despite Smith claiming she’ll be campaigning for Alberta to remain in Canada — she refused to make any such commitment.

The referendum on Oct. 19 will now contain 10 questions — the new one on separatism — along with nine previously announced questions on immigration and possible changes to Canada’s Constitution.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Vancouver’s mayor is calling for change after Global News revealed the operator of a provincially funded SRO received more than half a million dollars in the final months when two tenants remained, while there are renewed questions about how non-profit organizations are spending the millions in taxpayer money funneled into the Downtown Eastside every year.

From at least late March to mid-May, there were only two tenants at the Colonial Hotel at 122 Water Street in Gastown, as the SRO operated by Atira prepared to close.

The non-profit received $325,000 from BC Housing to run the Colonial Hotel in March when occupancy dwindled to two tenants, and an additional $222,100 for April to support the wind-down of operations, according to the province.

“That disgusts me,” Steve Hagger told Global News.

Hagger is currently homeless and said he knew the last tenants of the Colonial Hotel, where he had sometimes stayed as a guest.

“I’ve seen that building go with just three or four tenants for like, four or five months now,” Hagger said in an interview. “The fact that they got that much money makes me really sick, cause it’s disgusting in there.”

“I think it’s unfair to taxpayers absolutely, because they could be putting it to a better use,” added BC Housing tenant John Hodgson.

“It’s completely ridiculous,” said Vancouver mayor Ken Sim.

In an interview Thursday, Sim said it’s disappointing to see the waste and lack of transparency, adding the city is still waiting for 400 mandatory care beds promised by the province.

“That’s a lot of money for two tenants, I did the math and you could rent a place in the nicest hotel in the entire city and still save a bundle of money,” Sim told Global News.

The province confirmed that Atira terminated the lease on the Colonial Hotel property as of April 30.

Atira has refused to answer questions regarding how much it costs to keep the 140-room building open for two residents and said its agreement to operate it as an SRO ended on April 30.

“I think we have to ask ourselves, why aren’t they being transparent, and when you have hundreds of thousands of dollars per month being spent to house two individuals – maybe that’s the reason why they don’t want to show people where the money’s going,” said Sim.

“The whole thing is just a scam,” said former Colonial Hotel tenant Jessica Klinger. “Rich people getting richer off our, more or less, misery.”

Klinger and her boyfriend, Clayton Quigley, said they were among the SRO’s last tenants and lost many of their belongings when they were kicked out in mid-March.

Quigley questions the $547,100 in provincial funding Atira was given to operate the mostly vacant building over two months.

“There’s no way it cost them that much,” Quigley said in an interview. “It’s just a big money grab, that’s all it is.”

Millions are spent annually with mediocre results in the Downtown Eastside.

Earlier this year, Larry Campbell, the provincially-appointed Downtown Eastside advisor, said it’s been a mixed bag when trying to have a conversation with non-profit organizations about money.

“We don’t know where the money is going,” Campbell told media on March 31. “These are the people running the organization. We don’t know where the money is going. And some of them are resistant.”

“I don’t know what the money’s going to, but it’s sure as hell not going towards our housing or our well-being,” said Klinger. “I’ve been here (at the Colonial Hotel) for eight years. It’s been a hell ride and all I want to do with my life is get my life together, be able to like, maybe get my kids back.”

A 2023 paper published in the peer-reviewed journal, Social Sciences, explored the ‘Nonprofit Industrial Complex’, or NPIC.

Co-authored by SFU doctoral student and registered outreach social worker Tyson Singh Kelsall and 21 others, the research concluded the NPIC “allows governments and politicians, foundations, and wealthy individuals to shirk responsibility by creating a facade of community-led initiatives that are underfunded and given inflexible mandates.”

“Nonprofits in Vancouver seek to increase their own revenue growth, sometimes by producing further harm to and restricting access to resources from the populations from which they already extract revenue, in order to ensure the cycle continues,” it added.

Hagger said government needs to start looking at where all the money is going.

“I don’t think it’s really going to any of people really, maybe a portion or a percentage of it but a lot of it’s going into somebody’s pocket, and a lot of it in the wrong pockets,” Hagger told Global News. “I don’t want anything in my pocket, I just want the money so I can get something, somewhere to live.”

“I feel like they could do a lot more to help us like with you know, resources and everything else,” added BC Housing tenant Jonathan Craig.

Atira said it is currently working toward transferring the Colonial Hotel building back to the owner, but no longer has staff on site.

The province confirmed all Colonial tenants with Atira rental agreements through BC Housing have been relocated to alternative housing options, and the remaining tenant has a lease with the building’s private owner.

Property records show the Colonial Hotel is owned by Colonial Enterprises Ltd. under director Peter Plett.

The building owner, the province said, is disputing the lease termination with Atira.

On May 19, the sole tenant, told Global News he’s not planning to leave.

“This is where I live, so I’m staying here,” said Robert, who did not provide his last name.

The City of Vancouver said there is nothing in its bylaws preventing a resident from occupying the building, as long as life safety conditions are met and minimum light levels are maintained in common areas.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.