More than a dozen residents of the dangerously rundown Balmoral Hotel still didn't have alternative living arrangements lined up on evacuation day, according to homeless advocates.
Monday was the City of Vancouver's deadline for clearing out the single-room occupancy hotel, which is owned by the Sahota family and has been plagued with rats, mould and other problems for years.
Residents were finally given 10 days to move out after a report was submitted to the city warning the entire Downtown Eastside property is at risk of collapse.
As tenants scrambled to transport their belongings, the Vancouver Tenants Union decried the long-term neglect that left the Balmoral in its current state.
"There are literally dozens of SROs just like this," spokesperson Eliot Galan told reporters. "The Sahotas own four of them. They're all falling apart."
B.C. Housing and non-profit organizations rushed to make accommodations for the Balmoral's approximately 150 tenants, but the VTU said 16 people didn't have a place to go by Monday.
The city said anyone who hadn't moved out by the evening would be allowed to remain overnight.
Teams of municipal workers were on hand to assist people with the move, offering help packing and transporting boxes. On their way out, residents lined up to receive settlement cheques from the Sahotas.
"I'm happy for it. I'm going to see if it doesn't bounce," one resident, Mervin Small Legs, told CTV News.
But despite the minor financial relief, homeless advocates argued a little money won't make the ongoing problem of deplorable living conditions in the neighbourhood go away.
"This is a human rights crime scene," Galan said.
The city began escalating enforcement orders against the Sahotas last year, identifying a total of 183 deficiencies at the building from November to May. Dozens ultimately went to prosecution, but 150 remain unaddressed.
Despite that, Vancouver officials have been criticized throughout the Balmoral ordeal by some who believe more could have been done to prevent the situation from getting so dire.
Mayor Gregor Robertson defended the city's action once more Monday, arguing officials’ hands were tied.
"We've been pursuing legal avenues for years now to crack down on slumlords," Robertson said. "The city doesn't have effective enough tools to turn this situation around by ourselves."
The city also said it's waiting on its prosecutor to move forward with charges against the Sahotas for 64 bylaw violations.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Scott Hurst
