An upcoming meeting is taking aim at renovictions that are displacing New West tenants from their homes.
The Vancouver Tenants Union, ACORN and the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union are joining forces at an information meeting about local renovictions and the rental situation on Sunday, Oct. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Royal City Centre mall. Tenants who live in apartments that have been up for sale or recently sold, people who are concerned about renovictions and wonder what they can do, as well as those who are interested in knowing what they can do or are concerned about the current housing crisis are invited to attend.
“We are working toward getting control on this renoviction situation,” said John Rethmetakis of the Vancouver Tenants Union. “It is a three-pronged presentation on renovictions and affordable housing.”
The meeting follows up on an information meeting hosted by the Vancouver Tenants Union in New Westminster in August regarding the renoviction issue.
“We are inviting people in New Westminster to come and be informed. There’s lots of tenants here whose buildings are being affected,” Rethmetakis told the Record. “There’s a lot of stress going on, especially for seniors because they’re not aware of what’s going on.”
New Westminster residents Rethmetakis and David Hendry are also working to start a New West chapter of the Vancouver Tenants Union.
“There really are no renovictions in progress right now, but there is constant buildings that are in the process of being sold,” said Rethmetakis, who lived in a building that was targeted for renovictions in May.
The meeting will take place in #202 – 610 Sixth St. It’s a vacant retail space on the second floor of Royal City Centre mall, near Wal-Mart.
