Gregor Robertson vs. Donald Trump

The mayor of Vancouver has joined calls to rename the city’s Trump tower 

The mayor of Vancouver has fighting words for Donald Trump, a man whose “name and brand have no more place on Vancouver’s skyline than his ignorant ideas have in the modern world.” That’s a quote from a letter penned by the mayor on Tuesday to the Holborn Group, the developer behind the 63-storey Trump International Hotel & Tower under construction in downtown Vancouver. Over 50,000 people have signed a petition to have the tower renamed, but as Brent Toderian, Vancouver’s former director of city planning, told Vancouver Magazine last week, “the city can regulate architecture, and it can regulate density, but it can’t regulate the name of the building.” What the city can do, and just did, is send a strongly-worded letter. Here’s the full transcript of Gregor Robertson’s:Mr. Tiah, I am writing to you regarding my concern, and the outcry of concern from Vancouver citizens, about the Trump brand on your new tower on West Georgia Street. As Mayor, I’m proud that Vancouver is known throughout the world for our steadfast commitment to diversity, equality, and freedom from discrimination and hatred. Vancouver is enriched by that diversity, and being a city where people can live and thrive regardless of their gender, sexuality, faith, or ethnicity. That kind of openness represents the very best of today’s Canada, and is a key reason why Vancouver is such a desirable place to live. In contrast, Donald Trump’s hateful positions and commentary remind us all of much darker times in our world’s past – and it is incumbent upon all of us to forcefully challenge hatred in all of the ways that it confronts us. Over 50,000 people have now signed a petition asking that the Trump name be removed from Holborn’s signature new tower on West Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver, in conjunction with the same call from Vancouver City Councillor Kerry Jang. It is their belief, and my belief, that Trump’s name and brand have no more place on Vancouver’s skyline than his ignorant ideas have in the modern world. As Mayor, it is my hope that you and your company will work quickly to remove his brand and all it represents from your building. I would like to thank you for your consideration and reply. Sincerely, Gregor Robertson