Newly open Trump tower a beacon of controversy in multicultural Vancouver
VANCOUVER — When developer Joo Kim Tiah announced in 2013 that his spiralling skyscraper project in Vancouver would bear Donald Trump’s name, the main controversy was whether the glitzy luxury hotel was at odds with the city’s reputation as a home of casual yoga-pants-wearing types.
A lot has changed since then.
Vancouver’s Trump International Hotel and Tower has transformed into a potent symbol of Trump’s candidacy and presidency, observers say. Protests over U.S. policy inevitably end up on its doorstep and provincial and city politicians have said the Trump name doesn’t represent Vancouver.
“It’s more than a beacon of racism,” said Coun. Kerry Jang, who has urged the developer to drop the Trump brand. “It’s a beacon of intolerance. It’s a beacon of sexism and bullying. That’s just not Vancouver.”