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Rentals, homelessness, landslide
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December 17, 2009
Rental vacancy doesn’t add up
The vacancy rate in rental apartment buildings across B.C. has tripled in the last year but that increase isn’t translating into lower rents. Peter Ladner, a Fellow in SFU’s Centre for Dialogue, shares the Vancouver Tenants Resource Advisory Centre’s view that rents will continue to rise until the supply of rental housing, not just the vacancy rate, increases. “It’s still not economically feasible to build new rental accommodation. Federal incentives are needed,” says Ladner, a business columnist and sustainability consultant. He adds, “In the meantime, the City of Vancouver could move a lot faster in expediting laneway housing, which has the potential to increase rental supply at no public expense, make existing housing more affordable and create jobs. City program director Gordon Price can also comment.
Peter Ladner, 604.760.1445; peter_ladner@sfu.ca
Gordon Price, 778.782.5081; price@sfu.ca
Kudos for new homeless housing
Julian Somers, the research leader of the Vancouver component of Canada’s first housing-first national initiative to help homeless mentally ill people is pleased with Vancouver City Council’s decision to build more temporary shelters this winter. Somers, an SFU health sciences professor, says “I believe that temporary shelters are an important resource, particularly if they serve as a point of engagement and can facilitate connections with other services, including permanent housing. This is one more step in the process of improving our response to homelessness.”
Julian Somers, 778.782.5148, 604.290.3210 (cell); jsomers@sfu.ca
‘Homeless’ student motivates teacher
For the second year, Michael Markwick, a communication lecturer at SFU, is hoping an event on the North Shore will raise awareness of, and funds for, the community’s homeless shelter. He’s organizing West Vancouver’s Bonfire Night on Dundarave Beach on Sunday, Dec. 20, 7-9 p.m. The event will be set against a forest of glistening Christmas trees. Markwick was motivated to help the homeless after discovering that one of his students slept in her car for a year. “People see in a more powerful way at Christmas that even the most remarkable people can find themselves with a 'manger' for a bed,” he says. Funds raised from the event last year are also helping to create a culinary arts training program. Markwick teaches on issues related to making ethical social change happen.
Michael Markwick, 778.847.1426; markwick@sfu.ca
Making sense of the slide
A broken water main caused a dramatic landslide in Coquitlam, B.C. last night, threatening homes in a major subdivision. Earth sciences professor Brent Ward, an expert in soil erosion, lives near the slide area and is available to comment on its causes and implications for residential developments in the Lower Mainland.
Brent Ward, 778.782.4229; brent_ward@sfu.ca
The vacancy rate in rental apartment buildings across B.C. has tripled in the last year but that increase isn’t translating into lower rents. Peter Ladner, a Fellow in SFU’s Centre for Dialogue, shares the Vancouver Tenants Resource Advisory Centre’s view that rents will continue to rise until the supply of rental housing, not just the vacancy rate, increases. “It’s still not economically feasible to build new rental accommodation. Federal incentives are needed,” says Ladner, a business columnist and sustainability consultant. He adds, “In the meantime, the City of Vancouver could move a lot faster in expediting laneway housing, which has the potential to increase rental supply at no public expense, make existing housing more affordable and create jobs. City program director Gordon Price can also comment.
Peter Ladner, 604.760.1445; peter_ladner@sfu.ca
Gordon Price, 778.782.5081; price@sfu.ca
Kudos for new homeless housing
Julian Somers, the research leader of the Vancouver component of Canada’s first housing-first national initiative to help homeless mentally ill people is pleased with Vancouver City Council’s decision to build more temporary shelters this winter. Somers, an SFU health sciences professor, says “I believe that temporary shelters are an important resource, particularly if they serve as a point of engagement and can facilitate connections with other services, including permanent housing. This is one more step in the process of improving our response to homelessness.”
Julian Somers, 778.782.5148, 604.290.3210 (cell); jsomers@sfu.ca
‘Homeless’ student motivates teacher
For the second year, Michael Markwick, a communication lecturer at SFU, is hoping an event on the North Shore will raise awareness of, and funds for, the community’s homeless shelter. He’s organizing West Vancouver’s Bonfire Night on Dundarave Beach on Sunday, Dec. 20, 7-9 p.m. The event will be set against a forest of glistening Christmas trees. Markwick was motivated to help the homeless after discovering that one of his students slept in her car for a year. “People see in a more powerful way at Christmas that even the most remarkable people can find themselves with a 'manger' for a bed,” he says. Funds raised from the event last year are also helping to create a culinary arts training program. Markwick teaches on issues related to making ethical social change happen.
Michael Markwick, 778.847.1426; markwick@sfu.ca
Making sense of the slide
A broken water main caused a dramatic landslide in Coquitlam, B.C. last night, threatening homes in a major subdivision. Earth sciences professor Brent Ward, an expert in soil erosion, lives near the slide area and is available to comment on its causes and implications for residential developments in the Lower Mainland.
Brent Ward, 778.782.4229; brent_ward@sfu.ca