How The Globe And Mail Spurred A Protest Movement

A September 6th, 2024 Globe and Mail article about the Hallō Nelson luxury homes development provoked locals to fight back.

The Globe and Mail newspaper recently published an article about a proposed luxury housing development at Nelson, British Columbia’s Granite Pointe golf course that sparked controversy and drew fierce opposition from locals that eventually united to form HellNō Hallō.

The article, which can be read in its entirety here, describes how Vancouver developers Graham Kwan and Farhad Ebrahimi of Hallō Properties are proposing a $500-million project, which aims to attract wealthy buyers with 24 fully furnished townhouses starting at $1.95 million. The development includes a revamped 18-hole golf course and future plans for condos, hotels, and retail space, targeting affluent buyers from Canada and the U.S.

While Kwan promotes the project as an opportunity for luxury living in a “hidden gem” of British Columbia, the HellNō Hallō movement firmly opposes. HellNō's mission is to protect the culture and character of Nelson, advocating for thoughtful, sustainable development that focuses on affordable, social, and supportive housing. The belief is that land resources should benefit the whole community, not just the ultra-rich.

“We wanted to create a property that was fully curated to provide homeowners what they couldn’t access by themselves,” said Kwan, underscoring the high-end nature of the project, which boasts amenities like Austrian crystal glassware and the same mattresses as the Hyatt Park hotel. However, critics argue these luxury features only deepen housing inequity, driving up property values and threatening to displace local residents.

For HellNo Hallō, this project symbolizes the commodification of Nelson and that the community's identity should be nurtured, not exploited.

In what can only be described as a huge marketing faux-pas, the developers have said they will contribute $1,000 to the city’s affordable housing fund for every $1.9-million unit sold, a contribution of a meger 0.05% of the sale price.

For the full article, visit the Globe here.