Patryk Drozd (left), Chris Lyne and Patrick Renard are fighting eviction from their Kitsilano apartments. Credit: Jackie Wong
Retired officers facilitate evictions in Kitsilano
Posted By: Jackie Wong
04/16/2009 12:00 AM
Two retired police officers are currently facilitating the evacuation of tenants from their Kitsilano apartments, at West 4th Avenue and Trafalgar Street, to make way for major building renovations. Former officers Moe Coll and Don MacPhearson operate as MoMac Consulting Ltd., which, among other tasks, acts as a third-party mediator between tenants and landlords. “MoMac Consulting Ltd… offers property owners and landlords assistance in handling problem tenants, property management, rental negotiations and security,” reads the company website. “We offer a unique and valuable service to clients in negotiating additional rent increases.”
In an interview with WE, MacPhearson, MoMac’s director, denied similarities between what his company does and the renovation-related evictions – which have come to be known as “renovictions” – that have taken place in the West End. “You hear about incidences in the West End of evicting tenants for doing minor repairs on apartments,” he says. “This is not happening in this case.”
To help persuade tenants to move out of the 12-suite apartment complex at 1955 Trafalgar Street, above the Quattro on Fourth restaurant, MoMac offered them two months’ rent in compensation, plus the return of security deposits and an offer to help with their moving. Letters and information packages were issued to tenants on February 19.
“It’s interesting to note that nine [suites] of the 12 have already moved out, and seven have asked to come back,” says MacPhearson.
Vancouver city council decided Thursday to make it easier for homeowners to rent rooms during the Olympics.
But council also backdated by several months restrictions that would discourage landlords from evicting their regular renters to profit from short-term Olympic rentals.
The changes are expected to loosen what has become an extremely tight market for Games-time accommodation while at the same time protecting existing renters.
As an added incentive to get homeowners to properly license their Olympic rentals, the city dropped a plan to charge each landlord a $150 fee.
The city scaled the fee back to $106, the same amount it now charges homeowners and landlords who rent rooms for more than 30 consecutive days.
The proposals come as the city wrestles with a virtually non-existent housing rental market. It wants to avoid a repeat of the evictions that took place before Expo 86, when many people were thrown out of their homes as landlords sought to profit from the world fair.
Renters At Risk supportsToday, thousands of people in over 20 communities across BC marched to demand immediate government action to end homelessness, build social housing, protect rental housing and raise welfare and minimum wage rates.
In Vancouver, an estimated 5000 people attended the Rally at the Art Gallery today to show their support for a province-wide call to action to address the affordable housing crisis. The Grand March started from three locations on the East and West side, and converged at the Vancouver Art Gallery for a lively rally with bands and community speakers, who urged government at all levels to make housing a top priority.
The Rally today was organized by the Citywide Housing Coalition, a group who advocates for affordable housing and an end to homelessness. Their website (http://www.citywidehousingcoalition.org/) has information about housing news, events, issues, and links to other good housing blogs.
The rally today served as yet another wake up call that far too many people in British Columbia do not have secure or affordable housing in a place supposedly hailed as the best place on earth.
Renters at Risk was one of 65 endorsers of the event.
View the video footage on our YouTube channel.
The Grand March for Housing is this SATURDAY, April 4 at 12:00 Noon.Renters at Risk and WERA are West End sponsors and we encourage everyone in our community to attend!
The March has two starting points:
Westside is gathering at Peace Flame Park (Burrard and Cornwall/ 1st ave)
This group will head down Burrard, to meet the East group at Georgia, and march together one block to the Art Gallery for the final rally location. (Before you ask about Burrard and Davie, we have to encourage people to leave the West End to go to the starting location, they want as many people walking across the Bridge as possible for the media shots)
East Side starting point at Thornton park (Main and Terminal)
This group will walk to Main/Hastings to pick up a third group, the DTES group gathering at Carnegie Centre, and then the whole group marches together down Hastings to Burrard and Georgia, where they meet the West group to march to the Art Gallery together.
Please spend some time, just a few hours, doing a final push to leaflet your building and hand out leaflets at busy spots around downtown or everywhere your daily travels take you for work. This is not just a West End event, it is for the whole lower Mainland. We will also poster key locations like community centre bulletin boards, coffee shops and telephone poles.
If you want to volunteer to help promote the event email Sharon at sharonisaak@hotmail.com
Renters At Risk 