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2w ago

B.C. Launches Working Group to Strengthen Safety in Supportive Housing

This fall’s report will set out proposed tenancy law revisions plus enforcement measures to address drug trafficking, weapons and toxic exposure

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The former Howard Johnson hotel at 1176 Granville St. in Vancouver, which is now an SRO with a nightclub in the ground floor, has been the scene of numerous fires.

Overview

  • The working group brings together law enforcement, supportive housing providers, union representatives, BC Housing and health experts to assess safety gaps
  • Members must deliver recommendations by September or October on removing supportive housing from the Residential Tenancy Act to enable eviction of dangerous tenants
  • Authorities point to a June 11 fire at the former Howard Johnson site in Vancouver that injured two and a suspected April homicide in Victoria as catalysts for reform
  • Early tests of 14 supportive housing buildings in Vancouver and Victoria detected airborne fentanyl levels exceeding limits set by WorkSafeBC
  • Since 2017 nearly 7,500 low-barrier supportive units have opened in B.C. with 2,900 more planned as operators and business groups press for stricter controls