THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to “The Talk of The Town” for January, 2023. Scroll through the following features to find (and click on images to enlarge):

Our Lead Story

PROVINCE UPDATES TENANCY DISPUTE PROCESS

By John Streit
(click images to enlarge)

Take a quick scroll through the main West End community groups on Facebook and you’ll often find a popular discussion with a common theme – renters dealing with problems with their landlords. Issues can range from who deals with leaky faucets and bogus rent increases (the annual rent increase amount allowed for 2023 is two per cent) to potentially illegal evictions. With 80 percent of the more than 50,000 West Enders being renters, you can see how and why tenancy is such a hot topic.

Luckily, British Columbians have a dispute resolution process that can more often than not help landlords and tenants wade through some of these often very stressful situations, the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB). But if you’ve ever had to use the service, you know it can take a while, with long and frustrating waits for a hearing often the norm. When you risk losing your affordable West End apartment, those hours spent by the phone can be agonizing.

New and older rentals and condos near Davie and Cardero.

Now, the province is boosting the operating budget and staffing of the RTB by more than 40 percent. Fifty new employees are being hired and funding increased by $15.6 million over the next three years.

"Renters and landlords have been clear that the current residential tenancy dispute resolution process isn't working fast enough to address their needs," said Ravi Kahlon, the new Minister of Housing. "We hear you and we are taking action to speed up service and strengthen enforcement to address things like repeat or serious offences like illegal evictions, so renters and landlords can get the fair treatment and timely support they deserve," Kahlon adds.

Along with trying to cut wait times, the provinical government is also doubling the size of the Compliance and Enforcement Unit. The CEU was formed to investigate complaints and take action on repeat or serious residential tenancy offences. Bad landlords can face financial penalties for things like illegal evictions, which are not uncommon in the West End.

The province says that with more people moving to BC and the impacts of the pandemic, the Residential Tenancy Branch has been busy. Government statistics show the RTB received over 1,800 dispute resolution applications per month last year. That’s a 21 percent increase compared to 1,500 per month between 2018 and 2020. The RTB also gets a whopping 200,000 phone calls a year.

Looking toward Pendrell and Nicola in the West End

Robert Patterson is a lawyer with the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre. "As tenants grapple with the ongoing housing and eviction crises, it is essential that they can access and enforce their rights at the RTB," he says. "This additional support for the RTB will mean that tenants whose landlords are ignoring the law can have their urgent concerns addressed sooner. TRAC hopes that adding more staff will mean not only that tenants' cases will be heard more quickly, but also that arbitrators will have the time and support they need to give well-reasoned decisions. We also applaud the government's investment in the Compliance and Enforcement Unit, which has been an incredible resource for tenants, by preventing illegal evictions and taking meaningful action against bad-faith landlords," Patterson adds.

Recently, the province opened-up all B.C. strata units to rentals in a move to try and boost affordable housing. David Hutniak is CEO of LandlordBC appreciates the changes to the RTB at a time when potentially more renters will be moving into condos. "Not only will this new investment alleviate financial concerns for landlords by allowing them to resolve rental disputes faster, but it will also ensure that their unit is available to provide housing to people in B.C. at a time when it's needed most," he says. Hutniak adds “we are pleased to see this government take action to resolve a process they recognize isn't working.”

The Residential Tenancy Branch provides information on the following topics:

  • Entering into a tenancy

  • Security deposits, pet deposits and inspections

  • Rent increases and non-payment of rent

  • Ending a tenancy

  • Repairs and maintenance

  • Landlord`s Access

  • Assignment and sublet

  • Discrimination

  • Offences

If you’re a tenant or landlord and dealing with an issue which can’t be solved in your building, you’ll find information and resources here.

West End News & Notes

CLICK TO ENLARGE.

HELP PLANT SOME TREES

The poster says it all - click to enlarge.

The Lord Roberts Elementary School’s annual fundraising drive is off to a great start as the head towards their goal of $10,000 to enable them to plant ten trees.

For more information and to donate, please visit the PAC website here.

WECCA WINTER GUIDE

Your complete guide to winter events, programs, and activities at the West End and Coal Harbour Community Centres and Barclay Manor is available at the three centres and other community gathering places.

Registration is now open for winter and some early spring programs and activities.

Pick up a copy at one of the centres or find it online here.

Word On The Street

NEW BUSINESSES POPPING UP

So many new businesses have opened in the West End this past month that we haven’t been able to keep up.

We’ll be doing a complete walk-about once the weather clears a bit and will have a more fulsome report for you in February.

In the meantime, here are three recent additions and their locations. Click images to enlarge.





West End Street Names

REAR-ADMIRAL GEORGE FOWLER HASTINGS.

WEST HASTINGS

Hastings Street was so named because it was the road from Vancouver proper to what, from its founding in 1869 until its residents voted to join Vancouver in 1869, was known as Hastings Townsite. Stretching from Burrard Inlet to what is now 29th Avenue, and from Nanaimo Street to Boundary Road, the town was named for Rear-Admiral George Fowler Hastings (1814 - 1876) who, towards the end of a 50-year career in the Royal Navy, served as the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Station of the Royal Navy at Esquimalt through the mid-1800s. Commander Hastings is also memorialized in the names of a school, a mill, a park, a part of Observatory Inlet near Prince Rupert, and streets in New Westminster and Port Coquitlam.

The West End - Coal Harbour In The News