WATCH: Renters rallied in Burnaby to bring attention to the dwindling supply of rental housing in their neighbourhood.
A group of Burnaby renters rallied against the dwindling supply of inventory in their neighbourhood Wednesday.
Protesters demanded affordable housing now that several buildings in the Metrotown area will soon be torn down.
The protest took place on a block set to lose more than 100 rental units.
Donald Gorman, 78, says he’s being forced to move for a second time.
“We thought we were getting in to a place down the street that wouldn’t be torn down,” he said. “We were told it wouldn’t. We moved down the street and a year later they tell us they’re tearing it down.”
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Gorman says his older, low-rise rental building will be demolished to make way for new high-rise condos.
Advocates say Burnaby’s development boom is squeezing tenants out.
“It affects every aspect of their life,” said Monica McGovern of the Burnaby chapter of BC ACORN. “They lose that. They lose their community. It’s not fair and it’s not fair that nobody seems to be doing anything about it.”
In comparison to Vancouver, Burnaby is relatively affordable, making the area attractive to developers.
According to recent data from the Goodman Report, 23 apartment buildings were sold in Metrotown in 2014. Fourteen of those are soon to become new market housing.
No one from the City of Burnaby was available for an interview, but on their website they point to their Community Benefit Policy, a program that allows the city to consider development in exchange for new amenities, like parks and affordable or special needs housing.
However, unlike the City of Vancouver, there is no actual requirement for developers to replace rental inventory that’s being taken away.
That is what protesters want to see. They worry that without some kind of policy, development could force those on a fixed or low income out of Burnaby.
“It’s getting to the point where where do you go?” said Gorman. “People have to be able to afford to live and to rent. I can’t afford a high rise. I can’t afford a condominium.”
-with files from Nadia Stewart
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