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.
Read moreBalfour 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:
Read moreVTU 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...
Read moreVTU Members Organize Against the Developers Lobby to Expand Protection for Affordable Rentals Units
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.
326 Nanaimo: What We Learned
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.
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Acting Fast under Threat of Sahota Evictions
VTU organizers were alerted in late August that as many as 20 tenants in two buildings on Wall St. had received eviction notices
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