Your City Hall just approved another short-term rental.
You know, sometimes I look out at English Bay on a day like today, the water shimmering, the mountains so clear you can almost count the trees on Cypress, and I think, "How could anything complicated exist here?" Then I check the City Hall filings.
On April 21st, Vancouver's Special Council met, and among other things, they unanimously approved Business Licence Application No. AL0188353 for a short-term rental at 1801-1788 Columbia Street. That’s right, *unanimously*. Councillors B Montague, L Zhou, and S Orr all voted "In Favour." Councillor R Bligh was absent, but the decision still carried.
* **April 21st, 2026**: Special Council meeting * **Item**: Business Licence Application No. AL0188353 (Short Term Rental) * **Address**: 1801-1788 Columbia Street * **Outcome**: Carried Unanimously
It's a familiar refrain, isn't it? We talk about the housing crisis, about people struggling to find a place to live that doesn't demand half their paycheck, and then council quietly gives the nod to another short-term rental. It feels like we're constantly trying to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom. We keep building, yes, like that new $900,000 net-zero duplex at 3580 W 17th Avenue, but the leaks in the system persist.
Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast.
Kenji Nakashima, MiTL Sports Desk, Vancouver.
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