Absolutely packed house at New West City Hall tonight! Here to witness if council takes concrete action to #StopRenovictions!
Thread >>> we’ll be tweeting some talking points from the speakers here!
John, organizer with the NWTU was told by his landlord trying to renovict his whole building that he was going to “run this building like a business”
“Well then his business plan must include homelessness”
Adam “if this change had been in place three months earlier than much of the stress and heartache could have been avoided.”
Adam and his family were given an eviction notice for renovations that were last done less than two years earlier. They were eventually given the option of another suite in the building at 25% more rent but this was “only after we shared our story with the New West Record”
Anne’s landlord, known renovictor “Dino” Chand, told her “not to bark orders” when she asked for the security doors to be fixed in her building. Now she is threatened with an eviction for a caretaker to take her suite.
Audrey’s building was also bought by Chand. The building manager told her to “get ready for anything.”
She says her neighbors are “good people who deserve to be protected”
NWTU organizer Melissa reads out a single mother’s testimony. She is on disability and has become homeless after a renoviction. She can’t afford the transit to visit her mom in the hospital “I’ve never been homeless. I don’t know what to do but keep putting my name on lists”
Kim “protection from renoviction supports a diverse New Westminster population.” “The people who are forced out have contributed to this city in immeasurable ways”
Emily’s “I can’t count the amount of times people have come to us and said ‘do you have some food you could give us. My family can’t eat because I can’t pay my rent”
“I have a way of being that is informed by my faith, but it’s not just my faith that says “you have to take care of the most vulnerable first’”
One of our best organizers @dhendry7 “When is comes to changes in municipal law, often landlords say that provincial regulations offer enough protection for tenants. After battling renovictions in new west for the last 6 months, I couldn’t disagree more”
“The stress that the RTB process puts people through is enough for many people to leave. It takes incredible courage to face not having a home in a few months. The idea that tenants and landlords have the same power in this process is laughable”
“This bylaw will rightly shift the burden of proof so landlords must prove that buildings truly need to be vacant before they issue an eviction notice”
Current speaker “if I have to leave my apartment for any reason I will become homeless. I have been on disability and have been on a waiting list for social housing for 7 years”
Current speaker also in a building owned by Dino Chan “there’s enough money in this world to satisfy the hungry, there’s just not enough money in this world to satisfy the rich”
Kylie “I am willing to accommodate renovations but that option wasn’t given” “if I have to move out of my home, then I will have to move out of province”
Current speaker “I’m a housing advocate and I work with marginalized communities” “by passing this bylaw, you’ll save lives” “I hope that every jurisdiction in BC will copy what you’re doing”
Brittany was given her renoviction notice “the night before an exam and a month before Christmas...I don’t want anyone to have to go through the stress my building went through”
Phil, organizer with the NWTU: “I urge city council to remember that the renters here are your constituents. The representatives from landlordBC, UDI, the property management companies and many landlords are not and are here only for their financial interests.”
“The RTB process requires legal knowledge beyond what the average tenant has”
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.