A bar owner in Vancouver’s Granville Entertainment District (GED) said he’s fed up after his club was flooded again from the supportive housing in the former Howard Johnson Hotel above, and this time, he was shocked at what he found when he tracked the water.
Alan Goodall told Global News he arrived at Aura at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 24, to find water pouring down in front of his main bar.
Goodall said he called Community Builders, which operates the provincially-owned Luugat single-room occupancy (SRO) building, to see if it could source the leak.
After approximately two hours, Goodall said the housing operator couldn’t determine where the water was coming from, and so he went upstairs with the plumber and night manager.
“We found the leak within 30 seconds,” recalled Goodall.
The plumber, he said, discovered an overflowing toilet in a first-floor unit, which also contained evidence of hoarding.
“This was like months of build up,” the Aura owner said in an interview. “We’re talking two to four feet of garbage or hoarding garbage or however you want to describe it, but it was right up to the door.”
Goodall said the room had no bed, and the conditions inside made it uninhabitable.
“For me, it’s just frustrating,” he said. “If we do some quick math here, the province paid $55 million for this building, divide it by 100 rooms – that’s $550,000 a unit – and this unit was basically being used as a storage room.”
“It’s horrific,” said BC Conservative interim leader Trevor Halford. The fact of the matter is that the province is operating like a slum landlord.”
Halford recently toured Aura and spoke with Goodall about the ongoing challenges he’s experienced as the ground-floor commercial tenant in the BC Housing building.
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B.C.’s Housing and Municipal Affairs minister said the housing operator is doing its best to support residents with high needs and vulnerabilities, and denied the province is a slum landlord.
“I don’t agree with that,” Christine Boyle told Global News in an interview on Tuesday. “These are challenging conditions, of course, in a building that wasn’t purpose-designed as supportive housing.”
Goodall, who said he pays an average of $30,000 in monthly rent, said he was forced to close early on Friday night due to the latest flood.
“It’s absolutely critical that I am able to earn revenue on the weekends,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with this for six years now, so it’s incredibly frustrating.”
After enduring more than 200 floods since the province purchased the former hotel in June 2020 to house people from encampments, Goodall said he now has full-time drying equipment at the ready.
Still, he said, it doesn’t rectify the damage to drywall and electronics.
Goodall said a number of Aura’s LED walls and speakers in the ceiling no longer work, while pot lights above the bar have popped out.
“I have numerous areas around the club that haven’t been fixed, and it’s been months now,” Goodall told Global News.
“They’re taking a loss of income because the province is failing to meet its obligations as being a landlord and that to me is unacceptable,” Halford said in an interview Tuesday.
Boyle said BC Housing will be assessing the damage related to Aura’s latest flooding event to determine if there’s necessary compensation, as it has done in past incidents.
“I don’t know the specifics yet of the costs and damages of this flooding incident and so we’ll get those details and then there will be work to look at what compensation is needed, understanding the challenges this business owner is facing,” Boyle told Global News.
Boyle added she understands the business owner’s frustrations, and it’s why the province is working to relocate Luugat tenants to good, stable, alternative housing.
Last November, the provincial government announced the Luugat would close by the end of June.
Boyle said she’s optimistic that deadline will be achieved and as of Tuesday, more than half of the original 80-plus tenants have been relocated, while a number of other tenants have been offered alternative housing.
There is still no timeline for the closure of two other provincially-owned SROs, the Granville Villa and the St. Helen’s Hotel.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services told Global News that recent fire inspections show fire and life safety systems are being maintained in the Luugat at 1176 Granville Street, although inspectors do not go inside individual rooms.
Despite an April 9 fire, Deputy Chief Justin Mulcahy said the overall fire safety condition continues to improve as the building is being decommissioned as an SRO, with tenants only residing on the first and second floors.
“As occupancy has decreased, we have observed a corresponding reduction in fire incidents at this address,” said Mulcahy. “Specifically, there has been a 60 per cent reduction in fires with damage in 2026 when compared to the first quarter of 2025.”
As for the resident living in the unit above Aura where the most recent flooding originated from, Boyle said the operator is working with them to address “cleanliness issues” in their unit.
AS LONG AS CITY DOES NOTHING WITH THESE LANDLORDS, THIS WILL CONTINUE ! NOT ROCKET SCIENCE PEOPLE. WAKE the F / K UP
Smelly, diseased, and desperate. Those are the white settlers that came to Canada
Drewcouver – I bully and harass white nationalists on the internet. Actually white people are also immigrants to Canada. They came over here in boats from Europe
I have produced many Youtube videos on the subject matter and consider myself a foremost expert. While my videos bullying and harassing immigrants get the most views, I know where the problem lies. It’s Shivani Shivani. If you don’t know her, just google “Raaj Kumar” and imagine that person with long hair and a pie face. Or at least one you would want to throw a pie on.
Sigh. JV= F’n Natives. you guys are like some 5 year old arguing bedtime.
Whether DRIPA wants any direct entitlement to private property or not, is moot. What they want is the right to claim some vague entitlement or right to consent over it which can be turned into leverage for some kind of compensation from the Government for it.
Otherwise why else claim it and why else are all the other tribes fighting over whose old land it was.
We all see it now. That’s why those two or three other FN bands are opposing the treaty claims of two others, Eby wanted to amend DRIPA, and 90% of MLAs will suspended, amend or repeal it.
What can be voted in can be voted out. Even Eby knows that and why your chiefs are crying about betrayal!!
The population has had enough!
You can scare your own kind (AKA a bunch of white nationalist cowards) but you’re not fooling anyone else 😊
BTW anyone that says DRIPA is targeting private property in BC is spreading disinformation. It’s just a bunch of white trash warriors fear mongering on the internet. Nothing more nothing less
As the saying goes.
There are only two certainties in life.
Death and Taxes.
( Well 3, if you count on JV having another bout of jibber jabber insults)
I’ve never had issue with either. Just don’t like seeing that money wasted on all these lost causes.
So wrong again JV.
I think you count is in the 100s now?
At least the curls are curling :)
There are only two certainties in life as the saying goes.
Death and Taxes.
I’ve no problem with the eventually of either.
Like that other guy, just don’t like mine pissed down money pits.
Community Builders could be an asset to the community, but it has long failed the community. Julie Roberts father was also in the business of slumming years ago. He has left his legacy to a 60-year-old thirst trap on Insta. Such a sordid turn of events. And don’t get me started on Shivani Shivani. Tells her subordinates gossip and slander about other workers, which eventually spread around. Unprofessional and in no way should be considered for policing.
That’s your response?
Hahaha what a loser.
What’s is voted in can be voted out closed doors or not.
Even Eby knows everyone is sick of it including 90% of his own MLAs.
I can wait.
Especially Shivani Shivani. Agreed. Heartless.
Get over it lol rich person complains about housing for homeless people
Bob B – You keep bringing up First Nations like it’s supposed to bother me but it doesn’t. Everything regarding First Nations is going to happen behind closed doors and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do about it. Everything that you don’t agree with is going to happen eventually. Don’t like it? Too bad. The border is right there buddy. Go down to the states where they cater to racist f**king losers like you
Bob B – Yeah buddy I’m so triggered. Meanwhile all I’m doing is stating basic facts. Nah you pay taxes because you have to just like everyone else and then that’s it. After that you sit down and shut up. Welcome to the world of grown ups buddy. Your little fist pumping temper tantrums are completely irrelevant. Don’t like it? Then leave
WCFC Fan – Wrong story dumbass. This article has nothing to do with the Whitecraps. Just when you think the comments couldn’t get any stupider around here…. this guy….
You are so triggered JV. I have no problem paying my taxes as long two things happen. One, I actually get something useful like, roads, health care, schools, currency, parks, etc, and two, I don’t see it thrown down virtue signaling money pits. (The FN for example)
BTW I was born here too so it isn’t your country, its our country. All of us. Its was conquered, settled, bought and paid for.
What is the guy below talking about. The elected officials of this city want the white caps to stay ya bozo. Gave them prime land in Hastings Park.
Additionally it was this same group of elected officials that cut all the funding to groups like VANDU and all the other flakey advocate group that are part of the money grab.
J V you actually have no idea what’s going on do you?
We have elected officials in this city that are actually trying to make a difference and solve real issues in this city and then we have crusty old whitebread idiots like Bob and Doug shaking their fists in the air because they pay taxes and they think that actually means something 🤣🤣 Yeah you pay taxes because you have to pay taxes you f**king morons. Everyone has to pay taxes. If you don’t want to pay taxes here then get out of my country. The end
The Community Builders CEO is essentially a millenial slumlord. She posts on Instagram daily baking bread and showing her closet as opposed to actually working. The management has been historically poor. Especially Shivani Shivani.
Lol listen these Conservative clowns get all huffy and puffy because I ignore their delusional conspiracy theories and speak the truth. I basically say everything they don’t want to hear lol. Too funny
No surprise it gets worse the more you dig. According to Ai “Community Builders Group in Vancouver is a non-profit organisation employing approximately 101–500 people, according to various estimates. Based in Vancouver, they provide housing and support services“
101-500 people can’t find and fix a leaking toilet?!!! bahaha
101/16 buildings is ~6 people working per building. This is just flagrant incompetence.
Only one regular idiot posting here and it is JV. Like Doug below says, JV has nothing to offer but the racist rants of a lunatic.
I am too lazy today to fact check it but if there are really 25 or 30 people working in this group with 16 buildings then the funding is being completely mismanaged into their pockets.
If its 550K per unit wouldnt tents be cheaper?.
Why is it that people like JV never address the questions or facts. Why do they need to resort to insult and attempted intimidation instead of addressing the issue here. ( JVs limited mental capacity is the answer to that). The issue is the poverty industry. So why can’t an advocacy group with 13 managers, 7 board members, plus 7 or more property managers and who knows how many other employees manage their 16 buildings listed in their website.
That’s ridiculous.
Oh here we go… another braindead Conservative conspiracy theorist in the Global comment section. It’s all some cash cow poverty industry scheme hahahahaha. Man I love coming on here and reading these comments. It’s just pure entertainment
It’s about time Community builders are reported on, should be a whole marketplace episode on their get rich poverty scheme. CB is given money recklessly by the province to operate these SRO’s units. After the $ is handed over there are ZERO checks and balances in place! CB are ill equipped and lack properly trained and credentialed staff to be operating these SRO units.. Community Builders has no business running 1 site, never mind the 16 under their jurisdiction. These are high risk vulnerable people with significant mental illness, serious drug and alcohol addictions etc. These folks need proper acces to treatment with qualified professionals like case workers, social workers, special facilities and hospitals to go to! CB should have all their funding suspended by the City and Province until a full audit and assessment is done of the organization. It won’t take long to see they need to be shut down. This is endless directors and managers making 6 figure paychecks meanwhile being unaccountable to private enterprise for ruining their livelihood. Why didn’t the community builders property manager call an after hours plumber to rectify this? They clearly don’t have much budget for maintenance or staff to deal with these emergencies, obviously only enough for fat cat salaries and benefits! Why did this club owner need to call in their own plumber to help resolve an emergency?
We cannot afford to keep investing tax dollars into a derelict organization not up to the task. All SRO housing should be run directly by the government under B.C. housing authority. Time to cut out the 3rd party involvement and the cash cow poverty industry to get “Not for Profits” filthy rich!
Charlotte Zesati – Nobody said that running an SRO was going to be easy. 1 room out of 100 was leaking who cares. It’ll be dealt with and inspections will most likely be ramped up. No need for you and Doug to get your panties in a bunch
Why is it that the people that think they know everything are always the biggest f**king idiots? Doug is the perfect example
How could the rooms with monthly inspections for hoarding actually have a room this stuffed with stuff!
Inspections aren’t happening I suspect. Wow.
Haha. Like I care. Half the time I use autofill and don’t proof read. But if JV has no response other than grammar checking 🙄 that means the argument is already won!
Thanks for conceding defeat so fast again.
“Where is all money go to run the place? LOL” – “Irmina the manger of this building has degree in physical education!”
Speaking of someone with no education. Watching Doug try to put basic sentences together is pure comedy.
Bahaha
Where is all money go to run the place? LOL – The Community builders Group has 13 senior managers (all who need a pay check), 7 board members, and who knows how many employees.
Welcome to the poverty industry.
Upon digging deeper it’s only 3 of 13 managers appear to have any formal education or qualifications for the job. Go figure that it’s turned into a self serving money pit.
Irmina the manger of this building has degree in physical education!
Bahaha