{"id":3420,"date":"2019-07-15T10:28:23","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T14:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/cbc-news-heron-gate-community-seeks-legally-hold-timbercreek-promises\/"},"modified":"2019-07-15T10:28:23","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T14:28:23","slug":"cbc-news-heron-gate-community-seeks-legally-hold-timbercreek-promises","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/news\/cbc-news-heron-gate-community-seeks-legally-hold-timbercreek-promises\/","title":{"rendered":"CBC News: Heron Gate community seeks to legally hold Timbercreek to promises"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Legally-binding agreement could be a first for Ottawa<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><em>Posted July 15, 2019<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\tResidents of Ottawa&#8217;s Heron Gate neighbourhood are hoping that a legally-binding agreement will hold Timbercreek to its community-minded pledges as it redevelops the site.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\tThe company presented a &#8220;social contract&#8221; to the community in February. Of the five promises in that contract, the neighbourhood cares most that Timbercreek lives up to its pledge not to evict any more tenants until they can move into equivalent units at the same rent.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\tThe community has experienced multiple evictions in the past, including one last year that saw more than 500 people forced from their homes.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&#8220;Words are words. Are you going to back them up?&#8221; said Mavis Finnamore, who lived in Heron Gate for decades until her townhome was demolished a few years ago.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tTo cement those promises, community groups have been pushing for a legal contract known as a &#8220;community benefits agreement.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tNow, both Timbercreek and the local councillor and company are on board, and community organizations are pushing to also be signatories.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<p>\t\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"\/\/www.cbc.ca\/i\/caffeine\/syndicate\/?mediaId=1570178627896\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t<strong>A first for Ottawa<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\tCommunity benefits agreements ensure that commitments about affordable housing, job opportunities, recreation and daycare spaces are agreed to before the development goes ahead.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\tThey&#8217;ve have been signed in the United States and some Canadian cities, but a contract at Heron Gate would be a first for Ottawa.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&#8220;It&#8217;s an important tool that communities have not had in the past,&#8221; said George Brown, a lawyer who is working with ACORN, the Alta Vista Community Association, the Ottawa and District Labour Council and the South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\tBrown explained that in many developments, gentrification leads to higher rents, causing residents to be pushed out.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\tHe said community members are already suggesting the National Capital Commission create a similar agreement at LeBreton Flats to ensure that development offers a range of housing.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t<strong>Mix of housing, improved green space<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\tThe first test, however, would be negotiating the agreement for Heron Gate.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\tAlta Vista Coun. Jean Cloutier and Timbercreek have already set out five promises to the community that shape how the site should be developed over the next decades:<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tNo homes would be demolished until tenants can find newly built units at the same rent.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tOf the new units built at Heron Gate, 20 per cent would be affordable units. Timbercreek would use the City of Ottawa&#8217;s definition for an affordable rental, set at 30 per cent of income or roughly $1,400 to $1,500 for a family earning $57,000 per year.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tThere would be a mix of housing, including three-bedroom and four-bedroom units, as well as accessible units on ground floors.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tThere would be training and job opportunities, along with a meeting space for community and youth organizations.<\/li>\n<li class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tSandalwood Park and other green spaces would be improved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\tTimbercreek says it has no problem signing a legally binding version of that agreement.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t<strong>&#8216;Fully comfortable&#8217;<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&#8220;We would not make this commitment unless we are fully comfortable standing behind it,&#8221; said Paul Popovici, Timbercreek&#8217;s vice-president of real estate investment management.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tPopovici said the agreement would form part of a secondary plan for Heron Gate, which should go to the city&#8217;s planning committee in early 2020.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\tFinnamore and other members of the group ACORN insist they need to be part of the process, however, to both set up the contract and hold the city and Timbercreek accountable.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&#8220;There has always been an issue of trust, and I think that&#8217;s the main reason why community groups want to have their name on the community benefit agreement,&#8221; she said.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\tCloutier said while the community should give input at future meetings, the City of Ottawa and Timbercreek should be the two parties to the contract because it will be an official city planning document.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\tIt should also be one designed for the long term, Cloutier added.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&#8220;It has to follow, it has to be with the property, no matter who the owners are in 20 to 25 years,&#8221; said Cloutier.<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t***<\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\tArticle by Kate Porter for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/ottawa\/heron-gate-community-benefits-agreement-1.5209932\">CBC News<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"rtejustify\">\n\t\t\t\t&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"rtejustify\"><span class=\"es-button-border\" style=\"border-style:solid;border-color:#9AAEA6;background:#C51100;border-width:0px;display:inline-block;border-radius:0px;width:auto;\"><a class=\"es-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.acorncanada.org\/newsletter\" style=\"mso-style-priority:100 !important;text-decoration:none !important;-webkit-text-size-adjust:none;-ms-text-size-adjust:none;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;font-family:arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:18px;color:#FFFFFF;border-style:solid;border-color:#C51100;border-width:10px 20px 10px 20px;display:inline-block;background:#C51100;border-radius:0px;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;line-height:22px;width:auto;text-align:center;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up for ACORN&#8217;s newsletter<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\n\t&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","front_page_slider":[],"campaigns":[],"featured_news":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3420"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"front_page_slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/front_page_slider?post=3420"},{"taxonomy":"campaigns","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campaigns?post=3420"},{"taxonomy":"featured_news","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_news?post=3420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}