A14
                             ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

                                           Date:  July 6, 1995


   TO:       Vancouver City Council

   FROM:     Chief License Inspector

   SUBJECT:  Show Cause Hearings:
             New Columbia Hotel Ltd. - 303 Columbia Street
             Balmoral Hotel Ltd. - 159 - 161 East Hastings Street


   RECOMMENDATIONS

        THAT the New Columbia Hotel Ltd. (1995) and the Balmoral Hotel Ltd.
        be called  upon to show why  their business licenses  should not be
        suspended or revoked.

   GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

        The General  Manager of  Community Services RECOMMENDS  approval of
        the foregoing.

   COUNCIL POLICY

   Section 278 of the Vancouver Charter states:

        "The Chief License  Inspector may, in  any case, recommend  to
        Council in writing the suspension or revocation of any license
        setting out the reasons for such recommendation.   The Council
        shall  not  suspend or  revoke  the  license without  previous
        notice  and  an opportunity  to be  heard  being given  to the
        holder thereof,  except when by reasonable  efforts the holder
        cannot be found."


   PURPOSE

   This report  provides  Council with  information on  the licensed  hotel
   premises at 303 Columbia Street and 159 - 161 East  Hastings Street, and
   identifies concerns related to  the management practices of the  hotel's
   owners, who operate and manage the businesses.

   BACKGROUND

   For some years staff  have had difficulty in getting hotel  operators in
   the  Downtown Eastside  to take  responsibility for  complying with  the
   standards of Maintenance, Health  and Fire By-laws.  Owners  would allow
   unlawful  conditions to exist until they were discovered by an inspector
   who would issue  an Order.   They would  then wait  until the Order  was
   about to expire before doing the  required work.In April, staff sent the
   notice attached as Appendix "A" to owners of the hotels  in the area and
   in  the following  months  increased the  number  of inspections.    The
   resulting inspections have led  to the conclusion that the  licensees at
   the  above  named  Hotels  are  unable  or  unwilling  to  fulfil  their
   responsibility to comply with applicable By-laws.  Copies of the results
   of the inspections are attached as Appendix "B"

   *Photographs  taken showing  the  condition  of  each  of  the  premises
   identified above are on file in the City Clerk's Office.


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   *NOTE  FROM CLERK:  Duplicate sets  of photographs have been provided to
   the  Mayor's Office,  Councillor's Secretariat  and Office  of  the City
   Manager.