Digest of news on three vivid events in the life of Vancouver and British Columbia: the historic UN housing conference, an influx of Australian fans for the World Cup, and a slowdown in the housing market.
The "Woodstock" of housing conferences: how Vancouver tried 50 years ago to save the world from urban chaos
In 1976, when the world faced a population explosion, rapid urbanization and the rise of "megacities," an event took place in Vancouver that journalists dubbed the "Woodstock" of housing conferences. This was the First United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, known as Habitat I. Over two weeks, from May 31 to June 11, about 10,000 people from 131 countries descended on the Canadian city. They discussed everything from slums and the food crisis to energy and the future of cars. Today, half a century later, many in Vancouver do not remember the event, which surprises researchers. For example, activist and author Lindsay Brown, who was a teenage volunteer in 1976, argues that Habitat I was "Vancouver's first introduction to the world." She believes that the erasure of this event from the city's memory in favor of the flashier Expo 86 is "anti-historical and wrong."
The conference had two parts. The official segment took place in the city centre at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, where 4,000 delegates from 130 countries adopted the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements. Simultaneously, on Jericho Beach, in five repurposed aircraft hangars, the "Habitat Forum" — an informal gathering of NGOs, activists and curious onlookers — unfolded. The atmosphere there was festival-like: lectures, art installations, demonstrations of paper houses and even an electric car built by engineering students from the University of British Columbia. As UBC history professor Eagle Glassheim noted, in the 1970s electric vehicles were not a novelty; they were successfully showcased at such exhibitions. At the heart of the Forum's social life was a record-length bar, where delegates and guests mixed cocktails with discussions about the future of cities.
Among the notable figures who spoke at the Forum were Mother Teresa, economist Barbara Ward, architect Buckminster Fuller and anthropologist Margaret Mead. Margaret Trudeau, wife of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, led a march along the waterfront for clean drinking water. The main outcome of the conference was the creation of the UN-Habitat programme, now based in Nairobi. The Vancouver Declaration called on governments to fight real estate speculation and prioritize social housing. According to former Vancouver mayor Mike Harcourt, who was a city councillor in 1976, Habitat I marked "the start of a real awareness that we were becoming extremely urbanized and had to build cities right, otherwise we'd be in trouble."
However, despite its historical importance, there are almost no physical reminders of the conference. Just two years after the Forum, four of the five hangars were demolished. Today on Jericho Beach there is only a wooden sculpture and one surviving hangar, now occupied by a sailing centre. Lindsay Brown believes that this forgetting is not accidental but a symptom of a changing era. She calls Habitat I "a last gasp" before the neoliberal governments of Thatcher, Reagan and Mulroney came to the fore. "Since then Vancouver has built itself largely on speculation and has no interest in resurrecting Habitat's ideas," she says bitterly. UN-Habitat executive director Anaclaudia Rossbach sees the conference as an important step toward recognizing that housing is not just a building but part of the social fabric. "The future of cities is not predetermined," says 91-year-old Mike Harcourt. "You can choose the city you want. But you must choose wisely, otherwise you'll end up with a place full of smog, slums and cars that is unpleasant to live in."
The University of British Columbia plans to hold a symposium in the autumn of 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of Habitat I. Although the conference became "forgotten," its ideas about fair and sustainable urban development are returning to the agenda. As Brown noted, "for our generation it has become almost mythical."
Read the original article on CBC: "'Woodstock' of housing conferences was held in Vancouver 50 years ago. Why was it forgotten?".
Aussies and Kiwis take over Vancouver: superfans from the "Green Continent" at the 2026 World Cup
Vancouver is experiencing a true invasion of passionate fans from Australia and New Zealand who have arrived in the Canadian city for matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Brothers Lachlan and Bailey Carter, known on social media as "Those Carter Boys," flew in from Brisbane after a 14-hour trip and are already ready to energize everyone around them. According to Lachlan, the moment you hear a familiar Australian accent, a spark of connection ignites and the party flares up instantly. This wave of enthusiasm is no accident: both nations are famed for their particular sports fanaticism, and the 2026 World Cup draw gave Vancouver three high-profile matches featuring them.
On Saturday at BC Place, the Australian national team, affectionately called the "Socceroos" here, will face Turkey. Then on June 21 New Zealand's "All Whites" will play Egypt, and on June 26 they will face Belgium. The Carter brothers, who have hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram, have turned their love of sport into a social phenomenon. They travel the world covering major events and sharing a slice of Australian culture. Lachlan is confident his team will have an "excellent" tournament: he urged the players to "give it their all" and reminded them that the whole country supports them with that trademark "Australian spirit" that never lets you down.
Interestingly, British Columbia is a real magnet for people from Australia and New Zealand. According to the 2021 census, of more than 25,000 Canadians born in Australia nearly 11,000 live here, and of nearly 11,000 New Zealand-born Canadians about 5,000 live in BC. Hayden Burford, who moved from New Zealand to Toronto seven years ago, is eager to cheer for the All Whites in Vancouver. He belongs to the official supporters' group the "Flying Kiwis," and according to him more than 4,000 members of the organization will fly in from New Zealand specifically. That is a huge number for a country of just five million people. Burford has already bought a ticket for the Belgium match at 250 Canadian dollars, which he considers reasonable. He admits his team is a clear underdog: New Zealand ranks only 85th in the FIFA rankings among the 48 tournament participants, while Australia is 27th and Canada is 30th.
Vancouver city councillor Lucy Malloy, who holds dual Australian-Canadian citizenship, said she will cheer for the Socceroos, but if they meet Canada her heart, as a "conscientious citizen," will side with her adopted homeland. A former Melbourne resident, she plans to attend at least one match at BC Place, but if she cannot make it she will join other Australians at the Commodore Ballroom where a viewing party with a live concert will be held. Malloy jokingly notes that there are so many Australians in Canada, especially at ski resorts, that Whistler is jokingly called "Wistralia" — you can hardly kick up snow without hitting an Australian. "Maybe there's nobody left in Australia — they're all working in Whistler," she quips. Lachlan Carter explains that in Australia there are four popular football codes: Australian rules football, rugby union, rugby league and soccer, and fans constantly argue which is the "real" one. But while the World Cup is on, "football is football." His brother Bailey urged all Australians in Canada to loudly chant "Australia, Australia, Australia, oi, oi, oi" to create an unforgettable atmosphere. As The Canadian Press reports, this sporting contingent ensures Vancouver will become the true epicentre of green-and-gold mayhem in June 2026.
British Columbia housing market stalls: May sales fall amid rising rates and a weak labour market
The housing market in the Canadian province of British Columbia continues to feel severe pressure. CityNews Vancouver, citing data from the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA), reports that in May 2026 sales on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) barely reached 6,800 units. That figure was two percent lower than the same period in 2025. The main factors restraining buyer activity were rising mortgage rates and a weakening labour market, particularly in the Lower Mainland region, which includes Vancouver and its suburbs. The average home price also adjusted downward, falling 1.4 percent — from about 959,000 Canadian dollars in May last year to 946,000 CAD this May.
BCREA chief economist Brandon Ogmundson described the recent rise in mortgage rates as an "unexpected headwind" for the market this year. He said this factor could further delay the anticipated recovery in sector activity. First-half statistics also do not inspire optimism: the total dollar volume of home sales fell eight percent to 25.1 billion dollars. The number of units sold year-to-date dropped almost seven percent compared with the same period in 2025 and barely exceeded 27,000 units. These figures, first published by The Canadian Press on June 11, 2026, paint a picture of a protracted downturn. To better understand this trend, note the mechanism of interconnection: when the central bank raises its key rate to fight inflation, commercial banks increase mortgage rates. That makes monthly loan payments higher, and buyers either delay purchases or must settle for cheaper homes, which pushes average prices down. At the same time, a weak labour market (high unemployment or low wage growth) lowers people’s confidence about the future, causing them to shy away from large debt commitments like mortgages. Thus, the combination of expensive credit and unstable incomes delivers a double blow to the housing market, causing even the traditionally active spring season to fail to shake British Columbia’s housing market out of its winter slump.
