Kitsilano residents rally against homeless housing proposal
A group of residents of Vancouver’s west side held a rally on Wednesday, over a long-simmering debate on whether to construct a new social housing building in the neighbourhood.
The rally, attended by several dozen people, began with a girl singing a rendition of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi. Paving paradise to put up a parking lot – a theme attendees wanted Vancouver City Hall to hear.
“We should move towards better alternatives, by insisting councillors vote 'no' to the rezoning,” said Karen Finnan, a 30-year neighbourhood resident and volunteer with Kitsilano Coalition, a collective of people opposed to the proposed social housing project.
BC Housing is proposing a 13-storey tower on Arbutus Street just north of Broadway. It would include 129 modular studio apartments for low-income residents and people experiencing homelessness.
Rally organizers say they welcome social housing in the neighbourhood but would rather see it go to families and seniors.
“The terminus for the (Broadway) subway will be right across the street, and it would be well-suited for seniors and the disabled who have mobility difficulties,” Finnan said.
The tower would be built on an empty lot directly across from St. Augustine Elementary, where 450 kids go to school. Some feel the tower would be too close for comfort.
“We’d like to see something smaller in scale here,” said Finnan. “The larger the scale the more likely you are to have difficulties with individuals facing substance abuse, mental health issues, or transitioning from homelessness.”
Housing minister David Eby, in an interview with CTV News last week, addressed some of the group's concerns.
“I want to assure people that if issues did come up, I’d be quick to respond to them, because we need housing like this across the city,” he said.
“And the people who’d be living there will fit into the neighbourhood.”
With approximately 1,000 to 1500 unhoused people in Vancouver, Eby says increasing affordable housing supply quickly is critical. While he understands peoples’ concern, he says it’s misplaced.
Residents will have their say during a public hearing at city hall next Tuesday.
“If we vote no to the rezoning, we can start working towards a project model for this site that will be a success for the inhabitants of the project and for the surrounding community,” said Finnan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.