West End tower tenants rally against looming renovictions

Residents of a 60-year-old West End landmark are planning a rally in an attempt to stop the renovictionsplanned fortheir entire 15-storey building.

Andre Duchene, one of about 60 tenantsfacing eviction from Berkeley Towerat the corner of Denman and Davie streets, says the group is fighting back because there are no affordable rental alternatives in the city.

"We have affordable rent because we've lived here since before rents started spiking in Vancouver," he said. "And Reliance Properties is saying we want to make more money off this building, so we're going to kick you out."

RelianceProperties bought the distinctive green and yellow tower near English Bayfor $43 million in 2016.

On June 22 of this year, the company issued notices informing tenants of staggered evictions beginning in 2019.

The company also promised to pay evictees twice the compensation required by law on average, $10,000 per unit.

"To reduce impacts, we are significantly exceeding what governments require of us ..." wrote Reliance president Jon Stovellin a statement sent to CBC.

He acknowledgedthe "difficult news for tenants," butsaid the aging building needs major upgrades to the interior and exterior.

Tenants proposal

Stovell said some tenants have agreed to the compensation package.However,Duchene says the majority have banded together to presentan alternative which would allow tenants to "survive the evictions."

Last month, residents told Reliance Properties they were willing to relocateat their own expense during the renovation if allowed back into their units with their current lease rates in tactonce the work was finished.

The companyrejected the plan.

The residents believe the refusal contradicts provincial guidelines published May 18which say that the Residential Tenancy Act"does notallow a landlord to end a tenancy for the purpose of renovations ... if it is possible to carry out the renovations orrepairs without ending the tenancy."

"The way I see it, our city government is holding the bully's coatwhile they evict us, just so they can increase all 56 suites from affordable to luxury rents," said 30-year Berkeley Tower resident Carol Korm. "They just need to get rid of us."

Triple or quadruple rents

Under the Residential Tenancy Act, a renovicted tenant does havetheright of first refusal to enter into a new tenancy agreement once work is completebutat a rent determined by the landlord.

Duchenefigures Reliance will likely triple or quadruple rents, once the building is renovated.

"There's a lot of vulnerable people hereon CPP, elderly, without a lot of money. It's going to annihilate them and their way of life. And that [$10,000 eviction package] will make no difference ... if you're currently paying $500 per month and you're looking at moving into something similar at $1,700,the market rate in Vancouver."

A spokesperson for Reliance Properties said post-renovation rents had yet to be determined.

A rally in support of theresidents is scheduled for Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. at Morton Park, across the street from Berkeley Tower.

The City of Vancouver says it is carefully reviewingReliance Properties' tenant relocation plan which was submitted as part of the the development permit applications for Berkeley Tower.

The residentsplan to meet with City of Vancouver staff next week.

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