A group of condo owners protesting plans for a hospice at the University of B.C. because of superstitions about ghosts don't represent all Chinese people, community leaders said Tuesday.

Plans for the Order of St. John hospice on the UBC campus were put on hold after Chinese-born neighbours protested, claiming that the dying patients would bring them bad luck.

At a press conference on Tuesday, former provincial NDP candidate Gabriel Yiu said he was shocked by some of the comments from the condo owners about bad luck and ghosts.

"I have to say that these are the most bizarre comments I have heard in recent times," he told reporters. "At the same time, I'm concerned about how this would damage the reputation of the Chinese community."

Last week, condo owner Janet Fan said she started a petition against the hospice because of ghost stories she heard as a child in China.

"Our parents would say things like that ghosts are associated with death and we were just very afraid of the whole death thing," she told CTV News at the time.

But David Choi, chairman of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, says that the protesters are confusing the issues of Chinese superstition and Chinese culture.

"[Opponents] using the false claim of conflict with Chinese culture have hit the bull's-eye in the three M's: misunderstanding, misconception and misrepresentation," he said.

"They cannot rely on the misuse of Chinese culture and the community for support."

Choi, who also lives at UBC, says that caring for the sick and elderly is an integral part of Chinese culture.

"It is common knowledge and long rooted in Chinese culture and tradition to respect and care for the elderly," he said.

"A proposal for any hospice that serves the need of a community and humanity is a good thing."

The site for the proposed hospice was chosen after a four-year review of 12 possible locations.

A final decision on the hospice was expected next month, but the university has stalled the process to conduct further consultations with neighbours.

"University is a place of dialogue, and we have time to listen to all views on this," UBC spokesman Scott Macrae said.