Housing Myth 1
HOUSING MYTH #1:
The Housing Crisis is a supply/demand issue caused by a lack of housing supply
In this Housing Myth series the Vancouver Tenants' Union digs into prevailing social, cultural, and economic myths about housing. Join us and see just how flimsy these capitalist-derived myths really are.
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A Brief History of Little Mountain: Lessons for the Housing Struggle
The following piece was written by VTU member Nathan Crompton.
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Will “more social housing everywhere” mean more destruction of our affordable homes?
On December 7th, 2022 recently re-elected OneCity councillor Christine Boyle celebrated the unanimous passage of her motion “Reducing Barriers and Deepening Affordability for Non-Profit, Co-op and Social Housing in Every Neighbourhood”. It was her second time bringing the motion to council, this time with lively support from non-profit housing developers, the Vancouver & District Labour Council and Women Transforming Cities.
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David Eby will be yet another anti-renter premier
In case you haven’t heard, David Eby is running to be the next premier of British Columbia, and there’s a buzz of excitement from commentators about what that could mean for BC’s housing unaffordability policies. But does Eby’s record and proposals match the progressive veneer he’s cultivated for himself?
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Where did four years fighting at city hall get us?
They say you can’t fight city hall - but in the wake of the 2018 municipal elections, our newly formed tenants union took an aggressive tack to do just that - to bring tenant voices and tenant-centred policies into Vancouver’s city hall and to test a new politically fractured council.
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Solidarity with the "Our Streets" Statement on the Hastings Street Tent City Fire Order.
July 29, 2022
The Vancouver Tenants Union stands in solidarity with the Our Streets Statement on the Hastings Street Tent City Fire Order. The VTU calls on the City of Vancouver to immediately end the order to decamp unhoused residents in the Downtown Eastside.
We are in the middle of a pandemic, a toxic drug supply crisis, and a heat wave. It is an act of sanctioned murder for the City to dismantle these encampments during an extreme heat warning, particularly when there is nowhere to go for shade or shelter. When Our Streets asked what housing options would be made available to residents being decamped, they were given no answer. This violates the City’s MOU on decampment and pushes unhoused residents into life-threatening danger.
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Balfour Block Tenants Facing Demoviction Demand Stronger Protections
July 21, 2022
VANCOUVER, UNCEDED COAST SALISH TERRITORIES
Over 70 tenants are facing demoviction on 906-982 W 18th Ave and 907-969 W 19th Ave (Balfour Block) have organized and submitted a collective letter to the City of Vancouver in order to give them a fighting chance to stay in their neighborhood. The Balfour Tenants Collective’s demands include:
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B.C.'s Additional Rent Increase Legislation: A backgrounder
The following article was researched and written by member Dianne Varga, an organizer and life-long tenant currently living on the unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.
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“Renters Plan” to Mark the Launch of Tenant Resistance Movement Against Broadway Plan’s Transit-Oriented Displacement
***For Immediate Release***
May 16, 2022
VANCOUVER, UNCEDED COAST SALISH TERRITORIES
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VTU Members' Municipal Policy Demands
***For immediate release***
March 2, 2022
At our General Meeting on February 20, VTU members passed a motion supporting the following municipal policy demands...
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