CITY WIDE UPDATE

November 11, 2008
Hello CHC network,
No fancy orange bulletin from the Citywide Housing Coalition this week. The CHC website www.citywidehousingcoalition.org will be updated soon withthe flyers, pdfs etc of the latest information and actions below. In themeantime, we wanted to send this info to you before the election. Whew, housing issues are overwhelming the City of Vancouver right now. Latest Events and Updates: 1) City of Vancouver To Bail Out Olympic Developers; Homeless To Bail OutTents2) News Conference - Homeless Make Do By Sleeping Out On a CabinetMinister's Doorstep 3) News Conference - BC Housing Announces Demolition of Habitable Homes 4) Fraser Street Tenants Will Fight to Save Their Homes - Getting Ready toBe Homeless Workshop5) Standing Up Against Olympic Gentrification Forum6) Survey of City of Vancouver Mayoral and Council Candidates on Eco-density7) Planning Meeting for a Grand "March For Housing" (Spring 2009)8) Downtown Eastside of Vancouver Gentrification Tour

******11111111*************11111111*************11111111*******
Citywide Housing CoalitionNovember 8 2008For Immediate Release: CITY TO BAIL OUT OLYMPIC DEVELOPERS; HOMELESS TO BAIL OUT TENTS Perhaps the real reason for the NPA secrecy around the MillenniumDevelopment Corporation bailout, is their fear of public memory, suggest twomembers of Citywide Housing Coalition. "Discussing the bailout in public would open up a can of worms the NPA wouldrather keep shut," said Laura Stannard. "Vancouver voters will remember thatthe first action of the newly elected 2005 NPA council, was to reverse theprevious COPE council's decision to use the Property Endowment Funds to fundan equal mix of core-needy, modest income and high income housing. The NPAcalled it 'fiscally irresponsible'". David Diewert, also from the organization Streams of Justice, which recentlyended a five-day City Hall Fast & Vigil for homelessness, pointed to theirony of the City using Property Endowment Funds to bail out an Olympicdeveloper after cutting PEF funds formerly approved for social housing atSoutheast False Creek. He said: "The cost of homelessness to the City ofVancouver before, during and after the Olympics may well be more than thefinancial return required under the terms of the Property Endowment Fund". In any case, if homeless people are forced to camp out on Southeast FalseCreek, it will surely hinder sales of market housing in Southeast FalseCreek which the city is counting on to recoup the taxpayer investment. Citywide Housing Coalition maintains that concrete financial returns arepossible for the City when Property Endowment Funds are used to purchasebuildings and land to provide affordable housing for people who are homelessor paying more than 50% of their incomes toward inadequate and unstablehousing. For more information: Laura Stannard: 604.732.8685Dave Diewert: 604.253.1782 www.citywidehousingcoalition.org - 30 -

******2222222*************2222222*************2222222*******
HOMELESS MAKE DO BY SLEEPING OUT ON A CABINET MINISTER'S DOORSTEP Carnegie Community Action ProjectNews Conference When: Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 2:00 p.m.Where: Meet at the front steps of the Carnegie Centre Contact person: Wendy Pedersen, CCAP Organizer & Researcher, 604-839-0379 Homeless people are making do by sleeping out on a Cabinet Minister'sdoorstep, but they want real housing so they can go to work. "I want to move on from here and go to school. Indian Affairs will help mewith that. But I need a place. You don't have a life when you live in ashelter. I need to cook when I need a meal and I need a shower when I needa shower. I can't find a place to live. I'm not getting anywhere here,"says Kaleb Zentner, a homeless squatter at the site. Albert John Ouimette, one of the homeless squatters who has been sleepingout for months, says, "If the janitors want to wash the floor we leavebecause we want to make it easy for them. We keep the place tidy. We don'tcause problems here because we need to stay. The workers know who we are.They know we got respect. But I need my own space, my own key, if I'm goingto work everyday." Come to a news conference to find out where the squatters are and what theyneed. --30--

******3333333*************3333333*************3333333*******
BC HOUSING ANNOUNCES DEMOLITION OF HABITABLE HOMES Community Advocates for Little MountainNews Conference Where: Little Mountain Housing complex at Main and East 36th (go west intothe complex at 36th)When: Wednesday, November 12 at 10:00AM Contact: 604-842-5323 or 604-325-7209 BC Housing announces demolition of habitable homesTenants appeal for help from municipal candidates Vancouver, November 10, 2008-Tenants at Little Mountain Housing have askedmayoral and council candidates to seek a reversal of the demolition. "Allof the municipal parties claim they want to increase affordable housing inthe city, but will they act when they have the opportunity?" asked LindaShuto of Community Advocates for Little Mountain (CALM). The tenants have been told by BC Housing Regional Director Dale McMann thatthe gutting of homes has begun and the site will be leveled early next year. CALM wants the provincial and city governments to rethink their plan forLittle Mountain. "Demolition of these 224 habitable homes makes no sensewhen developers are getting cold feet because of the housing market and wehave a housing crisis in our city. It could be many, many years before theredevelopment of Little Mountain is viable. "There is no plan, no development permit, no demolition permit-yet the rushto gut these habitable homes continues." BC Housing has boarded up most windows at Little Mountain but removed stacksof plywood after a protest brought out reporters earlier today. "Boardingup the windows of my immediate neighbours who have moved out is a threat tomy personal safety. I felt like a target. Today we won a small victory, nowwe need action from city hall and the provincial government," said SusanWagner, one of the remaining 19 tenants on the fifteen-
acre site. -30-

******4444444*************4444444*************4444444*******
FRASER STREET TENANTS WILL FIGHT TO SAVE THEIR HOMES Vancouver to lose 78 more units of rental housing Fraser Street Tenants' Getting Ready to Be Homeless WorkshopThursday November 13 20084550 Fraser Street10 -11 AMFor more information, contact: Laura Stannardh)604.732.8685 w)604.637.3317laurastannard@shaw.ca & lstannard@jfsa.ca Despite City Council's assurances that the Rate of Change by-law willprotect affordable rental housing, 126 low-rental apartments are slated fordemolition if a development proposal from Ledingham-McAllister is approvedby City Hall. Tenants from two buildings near Fraser and 29th Avenue willprotest at 10:00 AM on Thursday November 13 2008. All council candidates andmedia are invited to attend.The protest will take place in the strip mall at Fraser and 29th (4550Fraser). The mall's retail businesses are fully supportive of the tenants'plight and are donating the space. Vancouver's Rate-of-Change by-law requires rental apartment owners toreplace any rental unit converted or demolished with another rental unit.But the by-law does not require the replacement units to be rented for thesame amount as the previous unit. Furthermore, rental housing incommercial-zoned areas, such as most shopping areas on main streets,including the Fraser Street building, are excluded from the by-law.The Fraser Street tenants are doubly damned: first, because they will not beable to afford the new rents, and secondly, even if they could afford therents, the developer will only have to replace 48 of the 126 demolishedapartments, leaving a net loss of 78 rental units. Many of the tenants haveincomes below the poverty line, speak English as a second language and allthe tenants fear they will be unable to find new homes in Vancouver's worstrental housing crisis. Tenants from the two buildings (4545 Prince Albert & 4550 Fraser) will stagea mock: "Getting Ready to Be Homeless Workshop". There will be refreshmentsand entertainment by Solidarity Notes Labour Choir.

******5555555*************5555555*************5555555*******
STANDING UP AGAINST OLYMPIC GENTRIFICATION ------------ -----STANDING AGAINST OLYMPIC GENTRIFICATIONlessons from the past for struggles today Thurs Nov 137pmYWCA Hotel Meeting Room(733 Beatty St, off Robson)------------ ----- A free public discussion with- -WENDY PEDERSEN (Carnegie Community Action Project - CCAP) on the currenthousing / gentrification crisis in the DRES, based on hotel to hotelresearch done by CCAP as documented in their report _Disappearing Homes_ -CAROL MARTIN (Nisga'a Nation, DTES Womens Centre Elders Council) on thecolonial foundation of Vancouver, the impact of gentrification on Indigenouswomen, and their resistance. -JEFF SOMMERS (Veteran of the anti-Expo wars, cultural geography researcherPHD) "If we see the kind of evictions we saw at Expo it will mean peoplewill have no place to go and there will be more deaths" (J. Sommers) -CHRIS SHAW (No Games 2010 Coalition, UBC Prof, Author of "Five RingCircus") on the Olympics as engine of gentrification in the DTES, and howthe movement against the Olympics factors into the fight for the DTES. ------------ -----Organized by Vancouver Socialist Forum778-554-2730

******6666666*************6666666*************6666666*******
SURVEY OF CITY CANDIDATES ON ECO-DENSITY Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver created a questionaire forcandidates on issues important to neighbourhood groups from across the city.Read the responses from candidates below plus analysis by this coalition. Questionaire responses from these candidates and parties available from:agroupofvancouverneighbourhoods@hotmail.com Bikerton, NPACOPESidhu, NPACadman and Woodsworth, COPERobinson and VisionGeller, NPA Analysis of questionaires by A Group of Vancouver Neighbourhoods: David Cadman and Ellen Woodsworth, the COPE Team------------------------------------------------ They filled in one questionnaire for both candidates, and they clearly saidyes to almost all of our questions. They commit to: neighbourhood based planning processes should be implemented throughCityPlan as the primary basis for future planning, objective and meaningful public consultation, an extension of the EcoDensity public process to address the outstandingconcerns raised, reinstating third party appeals, civic party financing, disclosure, donation and campaign reform. Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver Team---------------------------------------------- They filled out one questionnaire for all the Vision Vancouver candidates.Vision said yes to almost all of our questions and commit to the same asCOPE above: neighbourhood based planning processes should be implemented throughCityPlan as the primary basis for future planning, objective and meaningful public consultation, an extension of the EcoDensity public process to address the outstandingconcerns raised, reinstating third party appeals, civic party financing, disclosure, donation and campaign reform. There are a few questions where Vision is not as clear as COPE. Vision hasindicated they are checking with their candidates on these points. Peter Ladner and the NPA Team----------------------------- All the NPA candidates were sent the questionnaire individually, twice eachdirectly. The NPA Campaign Manager was also sent the questionnairerequesting a NPA party response. We were told by the Campaign Manager thatthe NPA is non-partisan and does not have a party position, but they wouldsend it on to the individual candidates. This is in contrast to the factthat the NPA party has made statements to the media on a party platform andhas voted as a block on almost every issue at Council during their term. We have not received questionnaires back from any of the NPA candidates thatare now on Council, only from three of the new NPA candidates, so thosereturns are attached. The NPA candidates presently on Council can thereforeonly be evaluated by their track record at Council over the last term whilethey have had a majority. All the NPA Councilors have mostly voted as ablock with Sam Sullivan, including candidates Peter Ladner, Suzanne Anton,Kim Capri, and Elizabeth Ball. This includes creating, promoting andapproving the EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions. The NPA have givenevery indication by their actions on the existing Council that: they intend to fully implement the EcoDensity initiative as it is presentlyapproved if they have a majority on Council, prefer a top down planning process of EcoDensity rather than neighbourhoodbased CityPlan process, do not listen to the citizens, do not support reinstating third party appeals, have voted down civic party financing, disclosure, donation and campaignreform. Conclusion:---------- Anyone who is happy with how the last term of Council has been managed bythe NPA majority would likely get more of the same by voting NPA. Anyone whowants a change in the direction of Council should consider what COPE andVision Vancouver are proposing in the attached questionnaires. Change willonly happen if there is a strong statement from the citizens that change indirection is what we want. Please consider the completed questionnaires to assist you in making yourchoices for Council. Thank you.

******77777777*************77777777*************77777777*******
PLANNING MEETING FOR A GRAND "MARCH FOR HOUSING" (SPRING 2009)Help organize and build this big event Next Open Planning Meeting: Date: Tues. Nov 18Time: 7-8:30 pm Location: Jewish Family Service Agency #305 - 1985 W Broadway Description: On April 4 2009, thousands of people from communities acrossBC, will march to demand immediate government action tobuild and protect affordable housing, and raise welfare andminimum wage rates. March Organizer meetings are heldmonthly. Come to the next one and find out how you can help. Metro Vancouver Contact: For more information contact: info@citywidehousingcoalition.caLaura Stannard: 604.637.3317; Rider Cooey: 604.872.1382 Outside Metro Vancouver:To organize your own grand march, outside of metro Vancouver,contact your local stand coordinator, or email:CALMhousing@hotmail.com

******88888888*************88888888*************88888888*******
DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE GENTRIFICATION TOUR Sunday, Nov 30, 1-2:30 pmMeet at: Carnegie Centre (401 Main) front steps $20/person for non low-income Wendy Pedersen is resident of the Downtown Eastside and the organizer andresearcher for the Carnegie Community Action Project, a project of anAssociation of 5000 local residents. Be prepared for the weather and towalk about 16 blocks in a big loop up Hastings, over to Oppenheimer, downpast Community Court, award winning social housing projects, closed andupscaling hotels, new condo projects threatening to overwhelm the area andbusy community hubs. Learn how the DTES is a "real" neighbourhood withpeople who love and care for each other, many who have put down roots or whoare struggling to put down roots. Learn about the forces at work that arerapidly changing the neighbourhood.
the end
*******************************************************************************