The Piccadilly Hotel
The Piccadilly Hotel closed down on February 28, 2007, for fire-code violations, resulting in the loss of 40 more low-income rooms for let in Vancouver. Pivot Legal Society is representing James McQueen, who was evicted by the landlord.
McQueen was able to find a place to live with the Downtown Eastside Residents' Association, but at least two other residents were left homeless, according to Pivot Lawyer David Eby, who said that although most of the residents were found place to live by City employees, the loss of the 40 rooms will cost the city in the long term.
Eby said that despite the
$50 per week increase in the Accommodation supplement announced recently by the provincial government, landlords were not finding it profitable to run hotel with less than 40 rooms. The cost of replacing the 40 rooms lost is estimated at $8 million as each new single apartment would cost $200,000 to build.
"Instead of forcing the hotel to close, the city could have made the neccessary repairs to keep the hotel open and billed the owner for the work," said Eby.
The Pender Hotel
Several tenants from the Pender Hotel are relying
on Pivot’s legal support to sue the City of Vancouver.
A fire inspection on September 14, 2005 resulted
in the tenants' doors being kicked in and a group of 15 tenants
being detained in an outside pen for the entire day.
Firefighters suspected there was a meth lab
in the building, but nothing was ever found.
The tenants' doors were never repaired, and
the hotel closed on April 8, 2006, resulting in a loss of
almost 40 affordable housing rooms.
The few remaining tenants settled their residential
tenancy claims against the owner, with the help of Pivot.
Pivot will continue to work to ensure that the
Pender Hotel building remains protected as affordable housing
under the City of Vancouver’s SRA Bylaw.
The Lucky Lodge
The Hotel’s owners were sent to a business
license hearing by Vancouver’s Chief License Inspector,
in early 2006.
Thanks to legal support from Pivot Legal Society,
nine tenants – the first tenants ever at a City of Vancouver
business license panel – were granted "standing"
by a committee that will hold the hearing on May 2.
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The Astoria Hotel
The decision
by the Vancouver City Council to extend the license for the
Lucky Lodge was made on May 25. [see
press release] [read
more about this issue in two Pivot Post feature articles,
June 2006]
Standing means the
tenants will be able, through lawyers for Pivot, to make suggestions
for the improvement of the operation of the hotel, and will
also be able to emphasize the importance to Council of preserving
the 54 rooms that provide shelter to the residents of the
Lucky Lodge until alternative accommodation is found.
Another hotel subject to a business license
hearing, Pivot is providing legal support to long-term tenants
to advocate for the continued operation of the hotel, with
necessary conditions.
Using the precedent set in the Lucky Lodge case,
Pivot will seek standing at the hearing for the tenants.
In addition, Pivot will provide support to the
tenants in the event that the hotel closes, to ensure the
City of Vancouver lives up to its obligations to assist in
relocating the tenants of that building.
The Burns Block
Tenants of the Burns Block Hotel on West Hastings Street were
given two hours notice of its closure on March 30, 2006.
Pivot Legal Society is providing legal support
to two tenants of the 20 room Burns Block building which was
located at 18 West Hastings Street.
On March 30, 2006, the lodging house was closed
with two hours notice to the tenants by the Vancouver Fire
Department.
The tenants are pursuing residential tenancy
claims against the landlord, and legal claims against the
City of Vancouver.
More information on these and other SRO hotels
For more detailed information about this issue, read Cracks in the Foundation, published by Pivot in September 2006.
Read the Cracks in the Foundation chapter The Enforcement of By-Laws.
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