“Public outrage” causes city to postpone $10,000 fine for homelessness

Public backlash yesterday against the City’s plan to increase fines on homelessness and street-vending to $10,000 caused the Mayor’s office to pull the item from the agenda just before the 6pm public hearing time.

According to statements made last night by Vision city councillors Geoff Meggs, Raymond Louie, and Andrea Reimer, the party has decided to postpone a decision on the matter — not because they are opposed to the high fines, but out of legal obligations in response to ongoing constitutional challenges against the City in court.

The stated reason for the postponement was that the PIVOT Legal Society has launched a court challenge against the existing $2,000 fines for homelessness. The court challenge did not arise at the last minute, however, and has been ongoing since November of last year. Councillors were in full knowledge of this legal challenge (and others), as well as the impacts of the legislation on the poor and on civil liberties, when on November 28 2012 they approved the new fines in principle and asked the city’s lawyers to draft the bylaws, to be voted upon after yesterday’s public hearing. The impacts of the proposed bylaws were also discussed in recent newspaper articles, including one in the Straight on January 9th entitled “Higher fines could hit Vancouver’s homeless hard.” Nevertheless, Vision felt the new bylaws were ready to come to a vote, and made no attempt to incorporate exceptions into the bylaws for homeless people or those who cannot afford $10,000 fines.

Protest against government bailout of Pantages condo project

Tues Dec 11, 2012 — Today at 2pm, the Downtown Eastside not for Developers coalition (DNFD) is holding a demonstration against the government bailout of the Pantages condo project on the 100-block of East Hastings. News was recently leaked to the Province newspaper that BC Housing has bailed-out condo developer Marc Williams/Worthington Properties with $23 million in sub-prime loans. BC Housing said that it has a mandate to fund “revitalization.”

The Province reported: “Dan Maxwell, vice-president, corporate services, and CFO of B.C. Housing, said Williams’ application to the province’s community partnership program was accepted because the development will revitalize the block.”

The organizers of today’s demonstration are “calling on Marc Williams to sell the Pantages parcel to the City at the 2010 assessed value and for the City to buy the site and work with BC Housing to develop it as 100% resident controlled social housing with low-income community space on the ground floor.”

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British Columbians take a STAND for social housing and rent control

This past Saturday British Columbians took to the streets to build public support for social housing and rent control in the lead-up to next spring’s provincial election. At twelve intersections across the City of Vancouver, campaigners held banners and signs, wore red-scarves, and circulated literature describing BC’s affordability crisis and the urgent need for pro-active solutions.

As of yet, there have been no promises made by the major provincial political parties regarding affordable housing construction or rent-control.

Saturday’s action, organized by the BC Social Housing Coalition, continues the tradition of “stands for social housing” which were a common sight at intersections across B.C. before the 2009 election.

The campaign is shining a spotlight on the need for new social housing. Before 2001, there was an average of 2,000 units of social housing built in the province each year. But since that time the has number dropped precipitously, creating a sizeable social housing deficit and ballooning wait lists. The coalition is calling for a strong social housing program that can close this deficit, while prioritizing the most vulnerable populations.

The coalition is also issuing a warning about the danger facing existing affordable housing stock. Tens of thousands of non-profit and co-op units are in danger as federal subsidies expire in the coming years. The coalition is proposing a plan to deal with this looming disaster.

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Post-secondary unions strike for fair contracts this week

SFU’s Teaching Support Staff Union has issued a notice that they will be kicking off more job action tomorrow. On November 7th, the TSSU stood in solidarity with members of CUPE 3338 in a 24 hour picket of Simon Fraser campuses in Downtown Vancouver, Surrey, and at Burnaby Mountain.

Other post-secondary unions had job action today. Members of the Vancouver Community College Employees Union, CUPE 4468, were on strike at both VCC campuses today. Members of the BCGEU and the BC Faculty and Staff Association held picket lines at BCIT.

Last week at UBC, CUPE 2278 members approved their contract, which gave them a 2% wage increase each year for two years retroactive from September, subtracted from which is a $50,000 fund that the union can use to give to members to cover costs related to employment. They also won some wording around hiring preferences, ensuring that PhD students are able to have employment for more of their degree. UBC had originally offered 1.5% for both years.

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