ABC defends axing Vancouver Renter Office, citing ‘duplication of service’ – BC | 24CA News

In a transfer condemned by Vancouver’s two Green councillors and single OneCity councillor, the reigning ABC occasion has voted to shut down town’s ‘Renter Office’ throughout a housing affordability disaster, citing issues over its effectivity.

While it had no bodily presence, the Renter Office had labored to advise tenants of their rights and was primarily funded by the Empty Homes Tax (EHT) at a price of simply over $1.8 million since 2019.

Despite employees suggestions, the ABC majority on council voted in favour of a late modification Wednesday to finish the initiative, which was launched via a 2018 movement from Green Coun. Pete Fry.

“This was a decision that was made in a back room to kill this office with no indication to the public that it was coming,” Fry instructed Global News in an interview Friday.

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The metropolis’s Renter Office responded to a median of 372 inquiries per 12 months in its first 4 years, and solely 40 per cent of these have been city-related.

The workplace had seven full-time equal employees for a median of simply over one inquiry a day.

“The reality is, not only is it on average one call per day … 60 per cent were other issues related to other jurisdictions,” ABC Coun. Rebecca Bligh mentioned Friday.

“We feel very confident that with our direction to staff to create a six month transition plan no renters will fall through the cracks.”

Staff instructed council the renter-inquiry line was just one entry level of the Renter Office, which additionally engaged in analysis with renters to find out how town can higher reply to their issues.

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Fry argued the Renter Office was additionally trying on the greater image surrounding land use and growth permits, and driving vital coverage selections across the Vancouver and Broadway Plans which can impression tenants.

“Yes, we had a front-facing ‘answer the phone’ kind of component, but more importantly this was about policy and direction,” he mentioned.

“We know that we have a scourge of illegal renovictions that happen in our city, we have conversions to short term rental — this knits all those pieces together.”

Bligh mentioned ABC heard from the general public that the Renter Office was directing residents to the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) and non-profit teams just like the Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre or TRAC, for authorized help town isn’t capable of present.

“I think that there was quite a bit of duplication of service,” mentioned Bligh.

Council as a substitute voted to approve $750,000 to proceed the Renter Services Grants program for 2023 with funding from the EHT, and to offer house for TRAC to have a walk-in workplace as a subtenant within the city-owned constructing at 900 Howe Street.

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