In late October, the tenants of 1171-1177 East 14th received news that their landlord, Andrzej Kowalski, would be converting their homes into condos, evicting 10 people, 4 cats and 2 dogs. This conversion will destroy 7 affordable rentals and replace it with 4 expensive condos. Tenants have formed the 1177 Tenants Collective in order to fight to stay!
The conversion of rentals into condos has been restricted in Vancouver since 2007. By separating the approval process for the demolition of the suites and the conversion to strata, the City is allowing the landlord to skirt tenant protections. This effectively creates a loophole for the landlord to evict the tenants once the Building and Development Permit has been issued, and then bypass the strata conversion guideline’s tenant protections when there are no tenants left in the building.
If this eviction is allowed to go through it could spell the beginning of a slew of condo conversions for similar apartment buildings, decimating more affordable homes in Vancouver.
Will you join your neighbours to pressure the City of Vancouver to stop Condo Conversions?
SEND A LETTER IN SUPPORT OF THE TENANTS
PLEDGE TO DEFEND OUR NEIGHBOUR'S HOMES
SHARE THEIR STORIES
Despite the City’s many policy directions to prioritize rental homes, City staff have responded to tenants that they will be granting a Development and Building Permit for this project with no indication that this loophole will be addressed and that the Strata Conversion Guidelines will be applied while the tenants are still residents of the building. Kowalski will get to profit off of his sale of 4 condominiums but the tenants of the building, one tenant has been calling the “big house” home for 26 years, are not afforded any financial stability or certainty about their futures living in this city.
The “big house” is home to our neighbours - a senior, a scientist, an international student, essential workers, queer and trans people, and beloved animals who make up the character of this little corner of East Vancouver bordering Mount Pleasant and Cedar Cottage.