Vancouver city council has voted to close down the city’s renter office.
The office, created in 2018, provides information and resources to renters regarding their rights.
Councillors from the majority ABC party voted Wednesday night to transition its work to other service providers, arguing they would do a better job.
”In order to run an efficient renters support program, we need extensive knowledge and experience, especially from a legal perspective,” said Lenny Zhou, a Vancouver ABC councillor.
“Some of this responsibility does not fall under the city’s jurisdiction and we are not experts in these areas.”
The move sparked strong opposition from the other councillors.
“Our lane is protecting the residents and the folks who live in Vancouver, and when 55 per cent of them are renting and a great deal of them are really struggling in the rental market, that’s our job. That’s my job,” said Pete Fry, a Vancouver city councillor.
The move comes alongside a $250,000 increase to the renter’s services grant program.
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