A colossal mound of construction and demolition waste, visible from blocks away, now sits abandoned on a vacant industrial property in southeast Vancouver, leaving the landowner, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, with a significant cleanup challenge.
A Towering Heap of Debris
The massive pile is located near the intersection of Kent and Manitoba streets, an area already home to a garbage transfer station and recycling depot. The heap stretches for more than a city block and in places rises several metres higher than the surrounding concrete walls and fencing.
Upon closer inspection, the compressed layers of garbage reveal a cross-section of demolition materials: drywall, pipes, sofas, kitchen cabinets, bathtubs, and large household appliances all tangled together.
Lease Termination and Mounting Debts
For years, the site at 8501 Ontario Street was operated by Surrey-based Southernstar Enterprises under a licence from Metro Vancouver to handle construction and demolition waste. That arrangement has now unravelled.
The Port of Vancouver terminated Southernstar's lease at the end of May 2025, according to B.C. Supreme Court documents. The port authority filed a lawsuit against the company in August, alleging it failed to pay rent from April 2024 to May 2025, amounting to over $637,000.
The court filings also allege Southernstar did not pay more than $1.19 million in property taxes and over $32,800 in water bills for the site. The company has not filed a response to the lawsuit, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
Licence Cancelled and Cleanup Plans
Metro Vancouver has also taken action. The regional district initially issued Southernstar an operating licence in February 2020. While it first stated the licence expired in December 2024, it later clarified that it actually cancelled the company's permit and declined further comment due to a pending legal case in provincial court.
The Port of Vancouver now owns the problem. In a statement to Postmedia, the authority said it is investigating the materials on-site to prepare for a cleanup. It confirmed the pile is not growing larger and that any visible movement is from workers surveying and repositioning material for the upcoming removal.
The cleanup is expected to begin in early 2026. The port authority added that no new tenant has been identified for the property.
