“We should be allowed to stay.”
So said Shelley Outhwaite, a New Westminster senior who was one of the key speakers on Saturday during a protest against renovictions.
Tenants being threatened with renoviction at 732 – Fifth Ave. were part of a rally at a time when the City of New Westminster has passed tough new rules to prevent renovictions.
Outhwaite has lived in the building for more than a decade, but received during the Christmas holidays a notice she would have to leave by the summer. Rally signs said the landlord had “stolen Christmas” from them.
On Friday, city staff met with the landlord to explain in detail the new rules that were passed last month. The meeting laid out what the landlord has to do in order to comply.
New West council approved amendments to the business regulations and licensing (rental units) bylaw that would add a new regulations to restrict evictions, such as when they can be considered, provisions for temporary accommodations for tenants in cases when evictions are deemed necessary, provisions to prohibit increases in rents after renovations are done, punishments for contravening the bylaw, and when exemptions would be considered.
In addition to revoking the business licences of multi-family rental property owners who don’t comply with the bylaw, the city has established fines of $500 and $1,000 for evicting tenants without permits, evicting without relocating tenants, failing to provide a relocation agreement or providing relocation documentation and implementing an excessive rent increase.
