On February 26, Vancouver City Council approved our union's application for the Renters Services Grant. VTU membership will have opportunity to vote on whether our union accepts the grant at our Annual General Meeting on March 22nd.   Continue reading

At the January 25 VTU General Meeting, members voted to sign a lease starting in February for a small office space in the Sun Wah building on Keefer Street in Chinatown. Continue reading

This episode of Vancouver Housing Stories centres around the life we can build with our neighbours, if we want it.  From seniors fighting to keep their collective home, to new families struggling to find space for home, the stories in this episode drive home that no model of housing can succeed without really listening to the residents themselves. Continue reading

This episode looks into isolation tenants face in Vancouver. First, Victoria Spooner relays the benefits and obstacles of having a pet in British Columbia. She talks to aspirational pet owners, as well as Pets OK BC organizer Elliot Galan. Afterwards, Yijia Zhang's piece “My Night Shift After Work" shares a sensory feeling to illustrate how long commutes and housing conditions add up to unmanageable amounts of household labour. Continue reading

Eight demovicted tenants at 326 Nanaimo St. fought to get the relocation they were promised by the City of Vancouver, with the organizing help of VTU, and support of the broader community.  Continue reading

Moonhee is a low-income tenant who received subsidized rent from BC Housing in a building owned by a large non-profit. But when she finds toxic mold in her apartment, getting anyone to care about her safety becomes an impossible task. This episode underscores why poorly maintained housing is not 'good enough' for anyone, but great social housing can be for everyone. Continue reading

  A Perspective from a Renovicted Tenant Who Qualifies for TRPP   Continue reading

Vancouver Housing Stories is a podcast mini-series where each episode takes a different approach to stories about renting in Vancouver. The series features six Vancouver-based storytellers and artists using pre-recorded tenant interviews to develop their own storytelling and audio practices, while considering the topic of housing. Could changes in Vancouver’s municipal housing policy make a difference in a city of people battling skyrocketing rents and constant evictions? Continue reading

Read the original article by VTU member Lisa Descary on Springmag.ca Continue reading

Tenants at 326 Nanaimo are facing demoviction and have joined VTU hoping to secure the rights and compensation afforded them by the Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy (TRPP). All tenants are vulnerable, low income, and have been paying significantly lower than CMHC average rent for the area. Continue reading