Friday January 30, 2026 | VANCOUVER, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The Jim Pattison Group has announced it will not proceed with the sale of a Virginia warehouse that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security intended to use as an ICE holding and processing facility.
This has resulted following sustained pressure from workers, unions, community organizers, and the BC Greens, said the BC Green Party today earlier today.
A protest that was planned out front of the Pattison headquarters in Vancouver was changed to be a celebration of collective victory instead.
Jim Pattison Developments said earlier this week that it publicly listed the site for lease or sale and accepted an offer from “a U.S. government contractor” to buy the property but only later became aware of the “ultimate owner and intended use of the building”, as stated in a company statement on January 28.
Hootsuite protest still on:
An earlier action at Hootsuite headquarters was scheduled to proceed as a protest and rally as originally planned, calling on the company to end its business ties with Palantir, whose technology is used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for surveillance, detention, and deportation.
BC Greens at both events:
BC Green Party Leader Emily Lowan will attend and speak at both actions.
“This didn’t happen by accident,” said Lowan. “Workers and communities can win against the billionaire class when we stand together. This deal was stopped because people organized, applied pressure, and refused to be silent.”
Lowan credited UFCW 1518 and grassroots organizers for helping force the reversal.
“Thank you to UFCW 1518 and everyone who fought for what’s right,” she added. “This win shows what’s possible. Up next: a wealth tax, public groceries, and affordable housing. Let’s get to work.”
Lowan also called on The Jim Pattison Group to take further steps to ensure it is not enabling immigration enforcement abuses in the future.
“Pattison must publicly commit to avoiding any future sales to ICE or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and fully disclose any current or pending property sales involving DHS,” said Lowan.
Event details:
On Friday January 31 in Vancouver:
- 3–5 pm: Hootsuite Headquarters, 111 East 5th Ave
With Democracy Rising Now
- 5–7 pm: Pattison Headquarters, 1067 West Cordova
With Indivisible Vancouver - This event at 1067 West Cordova will now be a celebration, not a protest, as The Jim Pattison Group has announced it will not proceed with the sale of their Virginia warehouse
Broadly in Canada:
The BC Greens are calling on Canadian companies to immediately sever ties with ICE-linked contractors and for elected leaders to speak out against corporate complicity in state violence.
Enabling harms:
“This is about drawing a clear line,” said Emily Lowan, Leader of the BC Greens in a preview news release yesterday.
“ICE is tearing families apart, detaining people illegally, and inflicting deadly harm. No Canadian company should be enabling that violence. If you profit from ICE, you are complicit,” says Lowan.
“He could stop the sale, give his workers a raise, and end the boycott today—the question is one of will,” said Lowan about Pattison.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: BC GREENS | CANADA-USA