The 200 people at the Marpole Oakridge Community Centre Sunday night were clear on one issue: they want the centre to remain where it is. At least that’s what they told a dozen city council and park board candidates who attended a civic election debate organized by the Marpole Residents Coalition.
Many residents worry the city might move the centre from its current location on West 59th and Oak Street to a city-owned site near Granville Street and West 70th Avenue. When that question was raised to the panel, Vision park board commissioner Trevor Loke replied that $17 million has been set aside in the parks capital plan to either keep and rebuild the centre at its current location, or relocate it with a library to a new location. He said Vision will not commit to a choice without “a full community consultation first.” The audience groaned and booed.
“If you want it, we will rebuild it here,” said NPA park board candidate Sarah Kirby-Yung, to applause.
Many housing advocates warn of more “renovictions,” that is, landlords evicting tenants so they can upgrade the buildings, and the candidates were asked how they would stop it.
Vision Vancouver Coun. Heather Deal replied that her party saved several buildings in the Downtown Eastside from renovictions, and created a bad landlords database.
“Also, for the first time in years rentals are being built, where there were none built in 2008 because they don’t make money, and we hope to see 4,000 more rentals.”
Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr countered that “Vision’s idea of affordable is ridiculous because the units they want are far too costly for most people.” She added the city has ways of stopping units from being torn down, such as by barring upzoning and strengthening the rate of change bylaw to require landlords to provide relocation plans for all evicted tenants.
One resident complained of a high number of absentee landlords in the city, and asked if higher property taxes should be imposed on unoccupied residences compared to occupied homes.
“That was the number one concern I heard from owners,” said NPA council candidate Rob McDowell. “They tell me they see empty homes everywhere. But let’s collect evidence first, not just go by anecdotes.”
COPE council candidate Jennifer O’Keeffe, said her party published a study on this problem a few months ago.
“COPE was the first party to put forward a proposal to have a vacant housing tax,” she said. “If people can afford to leave their apartments vacant for 10 months, then they can afford to pay higher taxes.”
But Deal warned such plans might run afoul of privacy laws, and the city might not have such powers under the Vancouver Charter. “How can we demand of people to know how many days a year each of them live in their own houses?” she asked.
Mike Burdick, one of the debate’s organizers, concluded that the public turnout was larger than he had hoped.
“It’s very hard to get politicians to give straight answers, so that was my biggest frustration, but overall I think it went fairly well,” he said. “It’s also hard to say what you will do if you don’t have a majority to make it happen. What we are all hoping for is that on Nov. 16 we’ll have a council without a majority, so they must listen to community before deciding.”
The election is Nov. 15.
