The Empty Condos Saga – Part 2:

 The Empty Condos Saga – Part 2: Clark’s Spin vs. Public Outrage

While Vancouver’s skyline filled with dark, empty towers, the political spin machine was already in full gear. Christy Clark’s government had a simple message: these condos weren’t a problem—they were proof that hard-working people deserved their second homes.

Reality, of course, told a different story. Families were being priced out of their neighborhoods. Young professionals were doubling up just to survive. Meanwhile, luxury units sat vacant, bought and forgotten by investors or hidden behind shell companies.

Reports in 2016 revealed thousands of empty condos in the city — yet the official line was reassuring: Everything’s fine. The market is healthy. Supply will eventually trickle down. Critics called it gaslighting on a grand scale. The very people who were supposed to benefit from “housing supply” were being ignored while the rich bought more and more empty units.

Public outrage grew. Protesters, tenant groups, and journalists demanded action, while the government emphasized choice, investment, and “market freedom.” It was clear: the Clark era treated housing as an investment, not a right, and Vancouver’s most vulnerable were paying the price.

The contradiction could not be clearer: a city full of wealth, a government full of excuses, and people left with nothing but empty promises — and empty condos.

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✨ Next up in Part 3: Dirty Money in Paradise — how casinos, shell companies, and international capital fueled the boom while ordinary residents struggled to survive.