Vancouver SRO residents endure cold snap with no heat

Residents at a Vancouver single-room occupancy hotel say they are finally warming up after telling CTV News they lost power, heat and hot water in their building on Christmas Eve – without full restoration of the utilities until Monday evening.

During the time the power and heat were out at the Regal Hotel on Granville Street, Vancouver experienced its coldest temperature in more than 50 years, as the mercury dipped to -15.3 C early Monday morning.

"It's like being outside,” said resident David Brabner. “The last two nights I've slept wearing my jackets underneath two sleeping bags and I was still cold."

Residents in the building accuse the landlord of being slow to act and only fixing the problem when City of Vancouver staff were notified on the third day with no heat.

The hotel is owned by the Sahota family, which has owned and operated a number of other SROs in Vancouver, including the Balmoral and Regent hotels which were both condemned by the city.

Council voted to expropriate those buildings and compensate the Sahotas just $1, but the city eventually reached an undisclosed settlement with the family.

A city report from July of this year details a number of concerns at the Regal, including structural damage and a lack of proper fire exits. It says the building is “considered to be in an unsafe condition.”

CTV News was unable to reach the Sahotas for comment.

The city says it only became aware of the heat issue at the Regal on Monday and that it immediately followed up with the building manager.

It says it has also proactively reached out to all other SROs in Vancouver to share weather safety tips during this extended cold snap.