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Evictions doubling
as Expo date nears

The charge that evictions in Vancouver
are doubling due to Expo 86 brought new
emphasis last week to a study which showed
the erosion of tenant rights under the pro-
vince’s revised tenancy legislation.

A survey released by the B.C. Tenants
Rights Coalition March 27 gave the proof
to the claims of tenant activists “that revi-
sion of the Residential Tenancy Act and the
abolition of the Rentalsman’s Office have
enabled landlords to exploit tenants with
greater ease,” said coalition spokesman
David Lane.

And Linda Mead of the Red Door Rental

_ Aid Society charged March 20 that evic-

tions have doubled as landlords scramble to
clear their premises to handle the crush of
ied reportedly heading to the world’s
air.

Mead reported that Red Door’s volume
of eviction cases had doubled with more
than 30 cases recorded in the first two weeks
of March. Normally, said Mead, Red Door
handles between 26 and 30 evictions a
month.

Mead said few landlords give Expo as the
reason for evictions to their tenants “but no
one is going to convince us that this sudden
increase is merely a coincidence.”

Additionally, landlords have been phon-
ing Red Door asking for information on
how to evict tenants from apartments and
basement suites for the Expo trade, she said.

Recent press stories have reported a jump
in the anticipated Expo attendance, with the
figure now standing at some 16 million vis-
its. Those same reports show that agencies
are getting desperate to find accommoda-
tion for the flood of tourists this summer.

More than 30 agencies — in addition to

the Expo-sanctioned Res West — are in the

field, according to reports. Homeowners
who rent suites have been receiving calls
from at least one of the agencies seeking
Expo accommodations.

According to Lane, who co-ordinates the
tenant coalition’s Tenants Rights Action
Centre, many attempted evictions are suc-

Socred housing ‘investigation’ a privatization ploy

Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Ritchie
told the legislature on March 12 that he has
launched an investigation into alleged
widespread abuses of social housing in B.C.
Why? What’s behind this so-called investi-
gation which will be conducted under the
direction of another Social Credit cabinet
minister, Jack Kempf, minister of lands,
parks and housing, who, with a salary of
$71,000, lives in social low-rent housing?
(Kempf has now announced his intentions
to move out of the housing co-op — Ed.)

There is no doubt in my mind that this
so-called investigation is only the first step
in the government's plan to privatize all
social housing in the province. We have
about 44,000 units of social housing in B.C.
and another 23,000 low rental units for the
elderly. Social housing is low or moderately
price housing built with federal assistance.
Co-ops, are one example; low-rental non-
profit housing by churches andother organ-
izations is another.

These won’t be privatized immediately.
This will probably wait until after this year’s
provincial election and Social Credit’s
hoped-for re-election.

Privatization could be carried through by
the outright sale of publicly owned social
housing to private speculators or by placing
it under the control of private management.
In either case the results will be the same.
Rents will be raised to “market levels” and
those who can’t afford them will be kicked
out. If you think the present evictions in the
downtown eastside area are bad, wait until

2 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MARCH 26, 1986

cessfully challenged only because few land-
lords are aware of the power accorded them
through the Residential Tenancy Act.

Lane said clauses in the Act — revised
following the infamous Socred budget of
May, 1983 — allow landlords to’ evict
tenants with greater ease.

Landlords wishing to convert their pre-
mises for Expo uses, such as bed-and-
breakfast accommodation, may now do so
without first obtaining the necessary con-
version permit and business licence from the
city, said Lane. If such cases are brought
before the Residential Tenancy Branch,
property owners only have to declare their
“intent” to seek the permits, he noted.

(The city for its part has already rejected
an attempt by a West End apartment owner
to convert his building for Expo use by
forbidding conversion on the basis of zon-
ing bylaws. City council has also passed a
policy resolution calling on the provincial
government to amend the Municipalities
Enabling and Validating Act to prevent
evictions for hotel and rooming house
dwellers in the city’s Downtown Eastside.
The government has refused to take action
on the resolution.)

Lane said the coalition has concluded
froma survey of Vancouver neighborhoods
carried out last summer that tenants gener-
ally have been victimized by changes to the
Residential Tenancy Act.

Among its findings, released last week,
were:

@ One in four tenants have some prob-
lem concerning their tenancy;

@ One in five tenants find it difficult to
retrieve security deposits;

© Only five per cent of the respondents
were aware of the Resdiential Tenancy
Branch;

© The number of disputes handled by the
branch (which must be non-monetary dis-
putes) are half of those handled by the
defunct Rentalsman’s office;

® More than half of those disputes arise
from attempted evictions.

the private interests get their greedy hands
on our social housing.

The aim of this so-called investigation
will be to smear; slander and discredit social
housing in every way possible. It will be a
hatchet job. If the facts can’t be found to
back up the intent, they can always be
manufactured.

Ritchie gave us an example of this when
he announced the investigation. He claimed
that in the Fleck Building, social housing
units cost $100,000 each, when in fact they
cost between $50,000 and $60,000 each. He
claimed that in other cases social housing

Harry

Rankin

units cost as much as $180,000, but he was
uanble to come up with any evidence to
back up this absurd and fictitious claim.
The other immediate reason for launch-
ing this so-called investigation was to divert
attention from and take the heat off
government because of the hundreds of
evictions that are taking place due to hotels
and rooming houses renovating their pre-
mises for the Expo 86 tourist trade. For
these poor and deperate people the Social
Credit government will do nothing.
Human Resources Minister Jim Nielson
says that the government cannot enact legis-

tion in technology.”

Dr. Allan Inglis (r), president of the Vancouver branch of the Canada-USSR Frieng
ship Society, presents a copy of Working Lives to Soviet guests Vladimir Trofi a;
(centre) and Vladimir Oulasevich at a reception Saturday night. Trofimov, a Sovj,,
history professor, and Oulasevich, a specialist in international relations, were ,_

Vancouver for a weekend conference on ‘‘The economics and politics of the revoly

i an it = Aimed

in ;

Council presses feds
to revamp shipyards

=

Citing the threat to Canada’s sover-
eignty over the Arctic and the “disaster”
of economic decline, the district of North
Vancouver has called on the federal
government to engage in a major ship-
building program immediately.

In a resolution Feb. 24 the district’s
municipal council voted to “urge the fed-
eral government to take immediate steps
to commission west coast shipyards with
the construction of appropriate ships” to
travel Canada’s Arctic waters.
~ At its March 18 meeting, Vancouver
city council unanimously endorsed the
motion, which has been distributed for
approval to 22 Lower Mainland munici-
pal councils.

In its motion, also distributed to 13
area members of Parliament, the North
Vancouver district council noted the
recent “challenge” to Canada’s sover-
eignty over its Arctic territories, a refer-
ence to the Polar Sea incident last year
when the U.S. coast guard piloted its

vessel through the Northwest Passagy |
without seeking Ottawa’s permission. |

_The resolution stated that “this chak |
Jenge can only be met if Canada asserty |/
its sovereignty through meaningfu) |
development of the Canadian north ang |
the construction of appropriate shipy
with icebreaking capability.”

Stating that the west coast industry iy }
well-equipped to produce such vessels, |
the council noted that “the continuation |
and well-being of the shipbuilding indus, |
try in North Vancouver is of enormouy
economic importance not only to North ©
Vancouver but the whole region.”

The resolution noted the Conservati
government’s election promise of “mean, |
ingful job creation” for western Canada |
and warned that the North Vancouvey }
shipbuilding industry “faces virtua) |
extinction with disastrous economic con,
sequences unless immediate action iy |
taken.” |

lation to control a few “greedy” landlords.
Why can’t it? When a few “greedy” corpo-
rations came to the government and
claimed they couldn’t maintain their profit
levels, the government not only cut their
taxes and gave them cuts in electricity rates,
it set up a special office under Art Phillips to
work out ways and means to give them
further financial concessions at taxpayers’
expense. 3

Housing Minister Kempf said of the
evicted downtown tenants: “We hear that
these people are having little difficulty locat-
ing replacement housing and in some cir-

cumstances are moving into newer and
brighter housing at considerably less rent.”
Did one of these poor and unfortunate
souls jump out of his window to his death,
Mr. Kempf, because he couldn’t stand the
idea of getting into “newer and brighter

housing at considerably less rent?” I know —

that your government has a muscle bound,
well-filled leather billfold for a heart, Mr.
Kempf, but I still think it should be
ashamed of its callous attitude to human
suffering.

The irony of the whole situation is that +

the Social Credit government has contrib-

- quite simple. They reflect the views ay,

uted nothing to the social housing th,
exists. It was made possible by the fede,
Liberals. e

The Mulroney goernment, which li
social housing about as much as So
Credit, has decided to turn the whole thi
over to the provinces. That is a sure gua
tee that we will get no more social ho
in B.C. as long,as this government ren
in office. : ;

Why does the Social Credit governmy,
hate social housing so much? The answer.

NN

demands of the big landlords. Co-ops t
rent three rooms for $476 a month seta
bad example. Tenants in private hous
point to it and think “Why do we have;
pay so much more?” 3
The answer of Social Credit is not ty
provide more lower rental housing but ,,
abolish it. Then the landlords will have y.
competition at all and can and will char,
$600 or $800 or more for the same type yy
accommodation. %
There aren’t enough units of social ho
ing in Vancouver or the province. If we
10,000 more in Vancouver we still wouldn,
have enough. Let’s not forget that we ha)
500,000 people on welfare or unempl
ment insurance in B.C. in this great periq 1 :
of Social Credit inspired recovery. a
We need a government that will unde, |
take a large scale program of buildin,
affordable social housing, that would gi\,
work to thousands of people and filla g
social need. :

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