MOTION ON NOTICE

At the Council meeting of January 22, 2002, Councillor Bass submitted the following Notice of Motion, which was recognized by the Chair.

Provincial Government's Closure of the Residential Tenancy Office (File: 1263)

WHEREAS, the provincial government has announced the closure of the Vancouver Residential Tenancy Office as of March 31, 2002;

AND WHEREAS, according to the 1996 Census, close to 60 percent of Vancouver's citizens are tenants who rent their homes;

AND WHEREAS, according to the 1996 Census, 85 percent of West End residents, where the Residential Tenancy Office is located, are tenants - the largest concentration of tenants in the province;

AND WHEREAS, the closure of the Vancouver Residential Tenancy Office will negatively impact access to essential services for all Vancouver tenants and landlords as they will now have to travel to Burnaby for dispute resolution services and to get information about their rights and responsibilities;

AND WHEREAS, traveling to Burnaby will present a real obstacle for many tenants due to lack of capacity, financial resources, and inability to take protracted time off work and will result in more tenants becoming vulnerable to illegal rent increases and evictions, potentially adding to the risk of homelessness;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the City of Vancouver City Council write to the Honourable Rich Coleman, Solicitor General and responsible for Residential Tenancy, expressing grave concern about the negative impacts on tenants and landlords of the closing of the Vancouver Residential Tenancy Office, and urging the province to keep this office open.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver