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.

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:

On March 11th, renters and VTU members spoke in favour of a proposal to expand the City of Vancouver’s "Rental Housing Stock Official Development Plan" to Commercial zones across the city.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

VTU organizers were alerted in late August that as many as 20 tenants in two buildings on Wall St. had received eviction notices

[Solheim Place tenants in April, 2019 Photo Credit: Nat Lowe]

July 7, 2019

VTU members voted unanimously in favour of a new “Language Access Fund”

VTU members collect tenant stories and partner with a youth arts mentorship program to create audio podcasts about housing.

Above: Kell Gerlings leads a discussion on housing and social action. Photo courtesy of VIVO Media Arts Centre