Draft:Cardero Case
 | Review in progress.
A reviewer is in the process of reviewing this submission. Don’t edit the draft.
Reviewer tools
|  |
The 'Cardero Case' is a Canadian litigation court case opposing Real Estate Corporation 'Larco Investments', owned by the multi-billionaire Lalji family and its residents at Regency Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Larco Investments was represented in the Supreme Court and the RTB by lawyers from Gall Legge Grant Zwack and Clark Wilson law firms, while the tenants were represented by their advocate, Aïssa Aggoune. [1]
Media coverage
[edit]The court case gained extensive media attention when the residents, represented by their Advocate Aïssa Aggoune, won a 'David vs Goliath' legal battle against the corporation's lawyers in the BC Supreme Court and in the RTB. The Vancouver Sun, CBC News, Global TV, CityNews, Radio-Canada, the Globe and Mail and CityHallWatch have covered the case over the years.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
City of Vancouver Municipal Response
[edit]The legal battle between Larco's lawyers and the residents lasted over 9 years and that victory inspired the City of Vancouver to introduce a motion to change the by-laws in order to better protect Vancouver residents from 'sick building symptoms', including unsanitary living conditions, indoor air pollution, mold infestations and water damages inside the home of Vancouver residents. The municipal motion was unanimously voted on by all of the Vancouver City Councilors and unanimously approved in May 2025. [1][3][8]
Background
[edit]The problems at 1225 Cardero Street began in 2016, when Larco Investments began the construction of an adjacent tower on Davie Street, right across from Regency Park. The destruction of the existing structure, the Davie Street's London Drugs and Regency Park's underground parking lot caused a lot of dust and debris to enter the homes of nearby residents, forcing them to keep their windows shut for almost 4 years. With the windows shuts, the residents realized the impact of not having a functional ventilation system was having on their health and reported the broken HVAC system to Larco Investments' property management company. The residents reported to the media that the issues were never repaired so they decided to come together and start a class action style lawsuit in the appropriate jurisdiction, the RTB.
The claim was filed by their advocate, Aïssa Aggoune in January 2018. Other issues included in the claim were the unsanitary living conditions caused by the relocation of the garbage bins to the outside of the building, behind a mesh fence open to the elements. The tenants also reported security issues, plumbing deficiencies and unaddressed water damages causing mold and adding to the indoor air pollution inside their homes due to the lack of ventilation. A first decision was rendered in October 2018 where the residents and their advocate won on the ventilation issue and Larco was ordered to repair the ventilation system and to compensate the tenants with the largest monetary compensation ever ordered in BC at the time. But the decision also dismissed the remainder of the issues in the claim ( the unsanitary living conditions, etc... ) Aïssa Aggoune took the case to the Supreme Court of BC and successfully got the decision overturned in Judicial Review and a new hearing was ordered to be scheduled by Supreme Court Judge Justice Russell in December 2019. The new hearings took place in 2024 and 2025, This time, Larco Investments hired lawyers from Clark Wilson, a reputable law firm in Vancouver BC. Mr. Aggoune, a self taught advocate, was facing two lawyers from Clark Wilson during the hearings. In April and May 2025, the final decision was shared with various media outlets like the Vancouver Sun, CityNews and CBC, which described the victory as a 'David vs Goliath' legal battle which will impact not only the 179 families living at Regency Park but also all BC residents to be provided with safer and cleaner housing for their families. The decision included an Order to compensate the residents around 40,000$, the largest monetary Order for repairs and maintenance ever recorded in the history of BC. Aggoune was cited in the Vancouver Sun estimating that Larco spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawyers in these Supreme Court and RTB court hearings.
In October 2024, CityNews's TV coverage showed the damages inside the building and Minister Chandra- Herbert meeting with Aissa Aggoune to inspect inside the apartments and hear the complaints from residents about air quality, non-functional ventilation, water damage, mould and other conditions in the building. The report identified Aissa Aggoune as the resident organizer and advocate who gave CityNews a tour of affected suites.[2] [7] CBC News cited Aggoune in a separate report concerning fire-code enforcement and tenant safety after a Vancouver apartment-building fire. In that report, Aggoune called for stronger enforcement of fire-code violations and better protection for renters living in unsafe building conditions.[4]
Radio-Canada covered the Cardero case in a long-form report about affordable housing, building maintenance and tenants' rights in Vancouver.[5] Radio-Canada also published coverage of tenants' rights in Vancouver in connection with mould and ventilation problems.[6]
Residential Tenancy Branch Housing in Vancouver Vancouver Tenants Union Landlord–tenant law
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Fumano, Dan (25 April 2025). "After nine years of 'steady' neglect, Vancouver tenants win legal battle with landlord at West End building". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ^ a b Junos, Kier (17 October 2024). "West End tenants raise alarm on air quality concerns unaddressed by landlord". CityNews Vancouver. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ^ a b Junos, Kier (17 April 2025). "Proposal brought forward for new rental protections in Vancouver". CityNews Vancouver. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ^ a b Wyton, Moira (15 October 2023). "Inspection reports detail years-long battle to fix fire violations in scorched Vancouver apartment building". CBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ^ a b "Larco, logement abordable et entretien à Vancouver". Radio-Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ^ a b "Droits des locataires à Vancouver, moisissure et ventilation". Radio-Canada. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ^ a b "David vs Goliath win at Residential Tenancy Branch: Regency Park tenants (1225 Cardero) win 8-year dispute against corporate landlord (Larco) and power legal team". CityHallWatch. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ^ "Enhanced Tools for Standards of Property Maintenance" (PDF). City of Vancouver. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.