Vancouver developer sponsoring yacht gala in China while stiffing local contractors

By ThinkPol Staff

A Vancouver developer, whose company was recently ordered by a judge to pay $200,000 in unpaid bills to a local contractor, is sponsoring a lavish yacht gala dinner in China.

Westbank, owned by developer Ian Gillespie, is sponsoring the Asian Marine and Boating Awards Gala, held in conjunction with the The 23rd China (Shanghai) International Boat Show^[1]http://www.boatshowchina.com/zh-cn/.

The prizes awarded at the event include Best Motor Yacht over 55′ and Best Water Leisure Destination of the Year.

Recently, A BC Supreme Court judge has ordered Vancouver developer Ian Gillespie’s other firm 501 Robson Residential Partnership firm to pay more than $200,000 in unpaid bills to Atlas Painting & Restorations Ltd for the work the contractor did painting the Telus Garden building^[2]http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/sc/18/06/2018BCSC0600.htm

Numerous contractors have also sued Westbank and Ian Gillespie’s other development companies for non-payment of dues, British Columbia court records show^[3]NGC MANAGEMENT LTD. v 101 WEST HASTINGS HOLDING LTD. S122224, MEGA CRANES LTD v LASER PROJECTS CORP. S15473, TORONTO ELECTRICAL LEASING LIMITED v WESTBANK PROJECTS CORP S1032571.

Ian Gillespie and Westbank have come under heavy criticism from housing activists for catering to rich foreign buyers instead of locals.

Leaked documents revealed last year how Westbank pre-sold nearly a quarter of all units of its Kensington Garden project, aggressively marketed in Hong Kong, to flippers^[4]https://thinkpol.ca/2017/10/23/westbank-pre-sold-nearly-1-in-4-kensington-garden-condos-heavily-marketed-overseas-to-flippers/.

ThinkPol analysis of publicly available MLS data showed that speculators were flipping condo units at Vancouver House, another of Westbank’s other major development projects^[5]https://thinkpol.ca/2017/11/23/more-than-1-in-3-yaletown-condo-sales-appear-to-be-flips/.

Ian Gillespie is a major donor and fundraiser for politicians at all levels of government, including Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and the ruling Vision Vancouver party^[6]http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SIGSearchResults.aspx?Contributor=IAN+GILLESPIE&EndorsedSK=0&Endorsed=(ALL)&EventSK=0&EventAlias=(ALL)&FilerTypeSK=0&FilerType=(ALL)&Class=0&OfficeSK=0&Office=(ALL)&JurisdictionTypeSK=0&JurisdictionType=(ALL)&JurisdictionSK=0&Jurisdiction=(ALL)&FilerSK=0&Filer=(ALL)&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay=, both the BC Liberals and BC NDP^[7]http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SA1ASearchResults.aspx?Contributor=IAN+GILLESPIE&PartySK=0&Party=(ALL)&ClassSK=0&ClassificationName=(ALL)&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay=, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Liberal Party of Canada.