Councillor Candidate Sean Orr’s Commitment to the Centre (A Letter to Filipino BC)
OCTOBER 8, 2026
On October 7, 2026, we wrote to every mayoral and council candidate with three concrete asks for municipal support for the Filipino Community & Cultural Centre.
Councillor candidate Sean Orr and COPE Vancouver have responded. Here’s what they’ve committed to:
Dear Filipino B.C.,
Sean Orr and COPE unequivocally support Vancouver’s Filipino community and its vision for a permanent Filipino Community & Cultural Centre. Filipino Vancouverites deserve a place to celebrate their culture, build community, and access essential services. In fact, in 2025, the first event I attended as a candidate was the presentation of the Weaving Our Voices: What We Heard Report. It was heartening to see all
the candidates in the room commit to the asks in the report. Of course, we know now that promises are easily broken.
The Weaving Our Voices report makes clear that this vision comes directly from the community. We support working with Filipino BC, the provincial and federal governments, and community partners to identify the funding and municipal support needed to move the project forward. As a councillor, I met with the prospective developer in Victoria to go over some of the roadblocks of the plan, and how a (future) council could address them.
With that in mind, COPE supports exploring expedited approvals for the project, including the housing and affordable housing components, while ensuring the process delivers real community benefits vis a vis ongoing institutional support. This can’t be a one time thing. The city needs to be partners in this vision and ensure that the Filipino community’s contributions to Vancouver are recognized and that it has the space, resources, and support to thrive.
Furthermore, the partnership with South Vancouver Neighbourhood House and the proposed Food Hub also demonstrate how this project can serve the wider neighbourhood. Food security is important to all of us at COPE, as evidenced by candidates with experience in the area such as council candidate Chloe Leslie, Indigenous matriarch Cease Wyss, and school board incumbent Suzie Mah who fought tirelessly against cuts to school meal program funding.
COPE stands with Filipino BC and supports working toward a permanent home for Filipino culture and community in Vancouver.
We’re grateful to Councillor candidate Sean Orr and COPE Vancouver for making this commitment toward the Filipino Cultural Centre and for recognizing the significant contributions and impact of the Filipino community, as well as the importance of having a permanent home for our community. This project has been more than three years in the making, shaped by the voices, work, advocacy, and support of so many people across our community.
As we hear from the other mayoral and council candidates in response to our October 7 letter, we’ll keep you updated on their commitments and what they are proposing for the Centre. Thank you to everyone who has continued to believe in this vision, speak up for it, and help move it forward — we’re building this together.
