Lease Extension – Lu'ma Native Housing Society
Motion 29 · Council Meeting, July 28, 2026
Summary
- The City proposes to extend its ground lease with Lu'ma Native Housing Society for the 22-unit affordable housing building at 1475 Kitchener Street for a further five years (November 2026 – October 2031), at a nominal rent of $10 for the entire term.
- Lu'ma is an Indigenous non-profit that has operated this site since 1985; the building serves Indigenous community members and was originally required to rent 50% of units at Shelter rates and 50% at Rent Geared to Income levels.
- A key driver for the change is that Lu'ma's ~$150,000 annual operating subsidy from the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA/BC Housing) expires March 2028 and may not be renewed, making the original deep-affordability mix financially unsustainable.
- The proposed new affordability mix reduces deep-subsidy units to a minimum of 15% of units at Shelter rates (e.g., $500/month for studios and 1-bedrooms), with the remaining units rented at Low End of Market — capped at 85% of average area rents.
- The $10 nominal rent represents a grant valued at approximately $750,000 over the five-year term, requiring a two-thirds majority Council vote under the Vancouver Charter.
- Staff note the building is currently operating at breakeven and will likely run a deficit after AHMA funding expires; the revised affordability mix is intended to make operations self-sustaining, with any deficit being Lu'ma's responsibility.
Vote
Public comments
Read all 5 statements
Transcript
15 segments
And that passes unanimously. Okay, item five, 1475 Kitchener Street, lease extension and amendment to Luma Native Housing Society. Councillor, are there any conflicts to declare? Seeing no one's hands up, this item does not have a presentation. And Councillor Domenato, you held this item, so you have up to five minutes to...
Yeah, thanks, Mayor. Main question is, reviewing this report, would it be fair to say that the reason in great part that we're seeing this come to council at this time and the changes around affordability of the units is due to the province pulling back, pausing provincial funding for supportive and social housing? Would that be the big driver here?
Yeah, that is correct. This is a proactive measure to help this operator and this project be financially self-sustaining in the event those operating subsidies cease, which are currently scheduled to be in 2028. So, yes.
Okay, so we're really stepping up in the face of those provincial changes.
Absolutely, and this is not the only lease like that. We do have others, and so we're wanting to explore with BC Housing and, in this case, ALMA, what other extensions or a more nuanced transition plan would work for our lessees.
Thank you. That's all my questions, Mayor.
Yeah, similar sort of questions. I guess this is kind of, you know, a short-term extension. Is that essentially in case new funding models kind of come up from either the province or the federal government?
This is aligned with the remainder of their operating subsidy. And so at that point in time, we'll reassess how do we move forward together, what the lease terms might look like. Could we do longer? Should we stick with something shorter? It'll depend at that time. So, yeah.
Okay. And then is there, I mean, if, say, there isn't that funding, you know, from the senior levels of government, what kind of options does the city have, you know, to sort of, for them to be able to maintain the current number of shelter rate units? Is there any CAC money or CHIP grants or anything from...
Typically, the city does not provide operating subsidies on an ongoing basis. They're just not predictable and sustainable from a local government perspective. That is the job of the province. So if it's an operating deficit that we're trying to cover, then we typically point to the province or adjust our affordability in the lease to make it viable. There may be opportunities for capital grants if there's certain capital repairs or maintenance that might be needed on the project, and we could look at that at a case-by-case basis.
That's usually been the city's role, if anything. Okay.
Thank you very much. Seeing no one else in the queue, would someone like to move a motion? Councillor Zhou, thank you. Seconded by Councillor Dominato. Thank you very much. Council, is there any discussion? Seeing no one in the queue, I'm going to call the vote.
And that passes unanimously as well. Now, item number six, we varied the agenda. And so we're going to cover that first thing tomorrow morning, I believe. Is that correct, clerk?
Statement Watch
Yeah. Thanks very much. It's quite an honor for this to be marked. It's quite important for us to mark Emancipation Day as a community. I think it's wonderful that the City of Vancouver and the Mayor of Vancouver are marking Emancipation Day. I don't think we do enough in Canada to actually mark Emancipation Day. Juneteenth is very important for Americans, and we seem to latch on to some of that. But there's obviously a lot of work to be done. The history of the relationship between the city of Vancouver and the Black communities has been, at best, a complicated one. And we hope that there will be improvements. There's a reason why the United Nations decided to have another decade to mark black presence, black dignity, addressing anti-racism against black people. And some of this is reflected in the work that is done and hasn't been done in the city of Vancouver. So this is an important day. It's an important celebration. And we hope that the work does go with the words. Thank you.
Statement Watch
I'd like to say a few words. Good day. My name is Neville Thomas.
I would like to say thanks for having us here. The group has reduced considerably, but I'm happy to be here.
Also, the presence of Dr. Andrew Wright, nice meeting you. I would like to start by saying thanks to group for your contribution, participation over all these years. This occasion is a historic one.
And at the end of all year, 26, 27, I would like you to be assured that we, the members of the anti-racism group, greatly appreciate the contribution you have made, as well as the greater population. Thank you, and we look forward to continued relationships and your contribution as we move forward.
Statement Watch
First of all, I'd like to thank all the councillors in the city of Vancouver for recognizing the contributions of my father. He's quite humble, and he didn't even know about this. We just surprised him. He just found out right now. Yeah, so Connor's been very working with us on that end. But thank you very much, and I want to thank all the family members that are here today. You all mean a lot to my dad and us, and it's a great day for him. Thank you. I just told him he was coming for lunch at City Hall. And it would be a quick 15 minutes. And yeah, I don't know if he was playing along or if he actually knew, but I don't think he knew. Are you surprised? I think it is a great surprise for me. I would like to thank for recognizing me as the founder of the Punjabi market. So I'm very thankful for the city hall and all the city Councillors for recognizing my services for the senior society and as well as for the Punjabi market. Thank you.
Statement Watch
First of all, I'd like to thank all the councillors in the city of Vancouver for recognizing the contributions of my father. He's quite humble, and he didn't even know about this. We just surprised him. He just found out right now. Yeah, so Connor's been very working with us on that end. But thank you very much, and I want to thank all the family members that are here today. You all mean a lot to my dad and us, and it's a great day for him. Thank you. I just told him he was coming for lunch at City Hall. And it would be a quick 15 minutes. And yeah, I don't know if he was playing along or if he actually knew, but I don't think he knew. Are you surprised? I think it is a great surprise for me. I would like to thank for recognizing me as the founder of the Punjabi market. So I'm very thankful for the city hall and all the city Councillors for recognizing my services for the senior society and as well as for the Punjabi market. Thank you.
Statement Watch
Well done. Thank you.
Do we get, like, the group photo?
Yeah, for sure.
We've got one more. We've got somebody else who'd like to speak. Gentlemen, it's my pleasure to know Mr. Sutakale for a long time. And I found him such a nice person, so amicable, so friendly. And I have learned a lot from him. I have read some of his books. They were very inspiring. They reflect what the community is here. So it gives me inspiration as well as good guidance. And with his inspiration, I have also written two books. One is Life and Act of Art. and today I have another poetry in daily life. The first I have presented to your worship, Damir, and today I will again, if I meet him, I will present him the other book. So Mr. Suchas is still going well. He's so energetic, even, you know, all these, you know, health problems. So it is something which is working inside him, behind him, and of course, when we say behind him, Unfortunately, his better half is not there, but his family, it's a pillar for him. So I wish Mr. Sucha all the best in his life, and I wish all the best for the family. They must continue taking care of him. Thanks a lot.