BIG WINS and LESSONS: Stop Condo Conversions Campaign Update
A big THANK YOU from the 1177 Tenants Collective to everyone who supported their fight to stay in their homes! The landlord has reported that he has dropped the current plans to convert their apartments into condos!
The 1177 Tenants Collective have won more time in their homes. In the future the landlord, Andrzej Kowalski, may pivot to demolishing the building outright, but we know that better outcomes are possible when neighbours stick together! May this campaign be a warning to other landlords who try and use the same loophole to convert apartments to strata.
The Reality of Displacement
While we should celebrate our wins, we must also acknowledge the reality of difficult battles against predatory development. Shortly before the landlord announced his plans to change course, one of our neighbours at 1177 East 14th made the tough decision to move out. Displacement doesn’t always look like an eviction notice on the door, it also comes with facing the constant stress of having your housing at risk. The apartment in the building has now been re-rented for hundreds of dollars more a month, meaning one less unit of affordable housing is available in East Van. This is a blow to our community, but the support between the 1177 Tenants Collective and their displaced neighbour will continue. Everyone deserves to feel secure in their homes.
Collective Action Gets The Goods
We will keep in touch if there are any updates on the horizon! There is still more work to be done to ensure that the landlord does necessary repairs and treats all the tenants fairly. By talking to our neighbours we can keep each other safe. There is so much to win.
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