BC ACORN getting organized to fight for MORE tenant protections under the re-elected NDP Government.

BC ACORN held its Keep Tenant Communities Intact campaign action meeting on March 1st, bringing together sixty tenants from Surrey, New Westminster, and Vancouver. The meeting was led by BC ACORN Chair Monica Bandhari, Co-Chair Gary Rodden, and new Surrey ACORN leaders Carlos Sandoval and Kayla Watson.

The meeting focused on two key issues:

• STOPPING TENANT HARASSMENT: Ongoing no-fault evictions due to still weak provincial rules and regulations in the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA). Now that ACORN and allies were successful in getting reforms to the RTA to close renoviction and landlord-use eviction loopholes, some landlords are quickly moving to a myriad of predatory and harassing tactics to force tenants out of their affordable homes. Tenants spoke up at the meeting about their experiences with these aggressive tactics and committed to fighting for tighter regulations within the RTA to curb these abuses.
• KEEPING TENANT COMMUNITIES INTACT: Demovictions resulting from the province’s year-old Transit Oriented Development Zone policy, which expedites apartment redevelopments near transit hubs without adequate tenant protections. ACORN has been campaigning for the City of Surrey to implement tenant protections similar to those established in Burnaby following ACORN’s Anti-Demoviction Campaign in Metrotown last decade. Due to the City of Surrey’s lack of care, responsibility over its actions, and absolute disregard for tenant engagement, ACORN determined that its only choice was to push for province-wide tenant protections against displacement caused by demovictions. ACORN remains committed to fighting to Keep Tenant Communities Intact.

The purpose of the meeting was to create action plans for BC ACORN’s new policy platforms:

• Keep Tenant Communities Intact Policy Platform
• Stop Tenant Harassment and Strengthen Rent Control Policy Platform

As a follow-up, ACORN will hold a Keep Tenant Communities Intact – Bus Tour Action on Saturday, March 22nd. Participants will meet at Surrey Central Station at 11 AM. The event will include ACORN members in red shirts, media, politicians, and allies, touring apartment buildings and communities affected by evictions and redevelopment pressures.

The campaign continues to call for stronger tenant protections and policy reforms to prevent displacement and preserve affordable housing across BC.