WERA Director Aaron Jasper
On January 10, 2007 WERA Director Aaron Jasper and President Brent Granby and the Renters At Risk Campaign members held a media event to support Mark Allman.
Mark Allman was disputing an eviction order at the BC Supreme Court to save his home in Richmond BC. Mark Allman and other Richmond Garden tenants were at the B.C. Court of Appeal fighting the eviction from their landlord, Amacon.
Last year, Amacon evicted many tenants in the 240-unit complex for renovations. While many of the tenants who disputed their evictions at the RTO won their cases, 37 tenants lost. Those tenants appealed at the Supreme Court of BC and a landmark ruling in May 2006 overturned the RTO decision. Amacon appealed the tenant’s victory, and that appeal was heard at the BC Court of Appeal.
In response to the growing number of evictions and the effects on communities, several Vancouver residents along with the West End Residents Association (WERA) have started the “Renters at Risk” Campaign to engage in public education and lobby the provincial government to make three specific changes to the Residential Tenancy Act.
• Remove the ability for landlords to ask for voluntary rent increases.
• Remove the ability for landlords to increase rent to geographic market rates.
• Remove the ability for landlords to evict tenants to evade legistlated rent increases.
