Mayor's promise to Vancouver renters slammed as unrealistic, opportunistic
Critics of Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart's proposal to usher in what he calls the “strongest renter protections in Canada” are slamming the move, questioning both the plan itself and the motivation for bringing it forward now.
On Tuesday, Stewart announced he wants to include renter protections in the Vancouver Plan, the same as those that were built into the Broadway Plan.
Stewart’s plan would focus on renters displaced by redevelopment. Tenants would have the first right of refusal to return to the newly developed property at the same, or lower, rent and builders would also front relocation costs.
Coun. Lisa Dominato, who is running for re-election with the newly formed ABC Vancouver party, said she didn’t see the mayor’s announcement of the proposal until the last minute.
“It caught us all by surprise," she said. "I actually don’t know how realistic that is, to be making that kind of policy application city-wide for all rental developments.”
Stewart did admit that his proposal made some builders nervous and could end up leading to developers needing more density in order to recover building costs. Something Dominato said she had also discussed.
“I’ve heard similar concerns from the building community. While we’re talking about wanting to make the city more affordable, we want to make housing more affordable -- this might layer on more costs and make it less affordable,” she said.
NPA mayoral candidate John Coupar also questioned if the idea would have the desired outcome, or make things worse.
“Usually when there’s rent controls it tends to constrict supply, rather than help supply,” he said, adding that he believed Stewart was making a last ditch effort to win votes ahead of the fall.
“I think it’s funny, he seems to have come alive a few months before the election,” Coupar added.
The Vancouver Plan has been in the works since 2018, when Kennedy Stewart was first elected. Wednesday was the first session where council heard directly from members of the public about the proposal and more than 80 people signed up to speak.
Many speakers in the early session were against the plan - one person calling it a “D-minus at best.” Another told council it was “the shameful, rotten cherry on top of the decisions of late.”
The CEO of Landlord BC also criticized the plan, calling it a “solution searching for a problem.”
“Nobody was asking for it except anti-development neighbourhood groups and certain members of council because they saw the process as a perfect tool to be used to halt efforts to denssingle-familymily neighbourhoods, which since 2019 is exactly what it did,” David Hutniak told CTV News in an email. “So mission accomplished for those folks at the expense of the community, the economy, and renters in particular.”
The Vancouver Plan will be back before council on July 22 which will be the last opportunity for it to be passed before the summer break.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.