Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson wants Trump name removed from tower
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has joined a growing chorus of residents who don't want the name of U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump to adorn a downtown luxury tower.
For months, Trump, who is campaigning for the Republican nomination, has angered many in the U.S. with his controversial remarks about immigrants. But his latest remarks, calling for a a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," sparked outrage north of the border too.
Last week, former Vancouver city planner Brent Toderian suggested that Vancouverites should urge the company behind bringing the tower to Vancouver — the Holborn Group — to remove the name from the building. More than 50,000 have signed a petition urging Holborn to drop Trump's name.
Now, Robertson is adding his voice to the cause. In a letter addressed to Joo Kim Tiah, president and CEO of the Holburn Group, Robertson said, "Trump's name and brand have no more place on Vancouver's skyline than his ignorant ideas have in the modern world.
"It is my hope that you and your company will work quickly to remove his brand and all it represents from your building." the letter said.
Developer not concerned with American politics
No one from Holborn group was available to comment Tuesday evening, but when the petition first circulated last week, the developer released a statement saying it was not concerned with American politics.
At 63 storeys, the Trump International Hotel and Tower at West Georgia Street will be one of the tallest in the city when it is completed sometime next year, making it the second Trump Tower in Canada after Toronto.
It is being built by the Holborn Group, in association with Donald Trump, but the full extent of the business relationship has not been publicly revealed.
Trump, his daughter Ivanka and two sons Donald and Eric came to Vancouver in 2013 to launch the luxury high-rise project, which had been put on hold during the 2008 financial crisis.
At the time Trump said his company will design the interior of the hotel and operate it.
The luxury development will include 218 residences on the upper floors and a 147-room hotel on the lower floors, complete with Vancouver's first pool bar nightclub, and a 1927 Palm Beach-themed spa by Ivanka Trump.
