
Scene from a previous protest against demolition on the Little Mountain site
Rally:
10th anniversary of housing demolition and eviction of Little Mountain community
Where: Little Mountain Social Housing site – corner of 33rd and Ontario
When: Saturday, November 30, 2019, starting 11 a.m.
Organizers: Riley Park South Cambie Community Visions Steering Committee (RPSC) and Community Advocates for Little Mountain
Petition: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/530/409/917/take-back-little-mountain-housing/
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The rally’s organizers have had enough with the delays that have become the “new normal” in the redevelopment of the Little Mountain Housing site. Since the outset in 2008, the sale, planning process and consultation around the re-purposing of Vancouver’s first social housing site “have resulted in nothing more than a social and economic disaster.” They are inviting everyone to joint the rally and sign the petition.
RESIDENTS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO TAKE BACK LITTLE MOUNTAIN
Vancouver residents will rally on Saturday, November 30 to mark 10 (TEN!) years since the Little Mountain Social Housing community was destroyed and to call on the government to take back Little Mountain.
“Everyone knows that this project has been a failure,” said Community Advocates for Little Mountain spokesperson David Chudnovsky. “It’s been 12 years since residents were pushed out of their homes and ten years since those homes were demolished. In the midst of a housing crisis the site is still a gigantic 15 acre vacant lot. Vancouver residents can no longer tolerate this incredible waste. It’s time for the provincial government to #Take Back The Mountain.”
Allan Buium, Riley Park South Cambie Vision Committee Chair added, “Our community needs social housing, affordable rental, co-ops and co-housing. We need to start over with a project that actually deals with the affordable housing crisis.”
Organizers are asking the people of Vancouver to join us at the rally at the Little Mountain site, sign the petition, and take part in the social media photography campaign.
CONTACTS:
davidchudnovsky@gmail.com
norm.dooley@gmail.com
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LINKS
Riley Park South Cambie Community Visions Steering Committee (RPSC): www.rpscvisions.ca
*RPSC has been a City of Vancouver sanctioned community consultation body since 2005, and has worked since 2007 to ensure that the Little Mountain site is developed in the public’s interest.
MORE INFORMATION
Ten Facts About the Sale of Little Mountain (November 18, 2019)
The sale of the Little Mountain Housing site now holds an unofficial record for “sale in progress.” It began twelve years ago and still has not yet been completed. People, understandably, have lost track of just where the process of rebuilding the site is at and what will be done. Here are some key facts and dates that describe the situation and what it means for housing in Vancouver.
Download PDF:
https://rpscvisions.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Ten-Facts-About-Sale-of-Little-Mountain-Housing-Site-1.pdf
16 Unanswered Questions about the Sale of Little Mountain Social Housing Site to Holborn International
The sale of the Little Mountain social housing property, Vancouver’s first social housing site in 1954, has been dogged with controversy, delays and a lack of transparency. Here are sixteen important questions that have yet to be answered by either the developer/owner, Holborn International, or the Province of British Columbia.
Download PDF:
https://rpscvisions.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Unanswered-Questions-about-the-Sale-of-Little-Mountain-Social-Housing-Site-to-Holborn-International.pdf
See also CityHallWatch.ca for scores of articles – search for “Little Mountain”. For example:
Little Mountain and the sale of BC’s Jericho Lands, Ned Jacobs, 4-Dec-2015 (see comments too)
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/little-mountain-and-sale-of-bc-jericho-lands/
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TEXT OF PETITION
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/530/409/917/take-back-little-mountain-housing/
Premier Horgan,
I urge the government of BC to take back the Little Mountain housing site. The Little Mountain redevelopment has been an appalling failure – an embarrassment to the Government of British Columbia and an insult to the people of Vancouver.
History:
2008—The province started pushing residents out of 224 Little Mountain social housing units. 2009—The buildings were demolished. 2019—The land sits empty.
The Problem:
• Lower and middle income Vancouver families, young people and seniors desperately need homes they can afford.
• Developer still has no definite date to complete the project.
• Promised social housing not replaced except for one social housing building of 53 units.
I urge the provincial government to take back the property, keep this important asset in public hands and use the land to:
• replace all of the social housing lost in the destruction of the Little Mountain community;
• build hundreds more social housing units;
• add new homes with guaranteed below market rents and a guarantee the units will remain rental in perpetuity;
• create affordable ownership options such as co-op and co-housing.
It is time for the government of British Columbia to reverse the sale and start over with a plan to use the land in the interests of those who need homes – and not just those who can afford them.
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