A housing advocacy group is criticizing the City of Burnaby’s public consultation process around its Metrotown development plan update, calling it “inadequate” and “ill-conceived.”
Members of B.C.’s Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) voiced their concerns at a press conference Monday. At issue is the plan, which has existed since 1977, and if updated, could see a number of buildings in the Metrotown area demolished to make way for new highrises (also known as demovictions).
ACORN is arguing the first phase of the public consultation process, which started in June and wraps up on Aug. 31, did not prioritize the some 8,000 people who could face displacement or homelessness. Rather than give Burnaby’s entire population an equal say in the changes, those who will bear the brunt of it should have been consulted first, according to ACORN member Murray Martin.
“I live in Edmonds, so I don’t think I should have equal say to someone who is facing displacement,” he said.
Another point of contention is that the consultation process was too short. Martin said gathering feedback during the summer months was “ill-timed.”
“People aren’t generally paying attention to things like this. They’re busy with other activities, their kids are out of school and they’ve got other concerns. We would expect a plan on this scale to have a consultation period of at least two years,” he explained.
The onus was on individuals to find out about the city’s proposed changes, added Martin. He said ACORN knocked on 250 doors in the Metrotown neighbourhood throughout August, but not a single person knew about the plan update.
The housing advocates also say the consultation process has been discriminatory against people who speak English as a second language and low-income tenants. The survey was only available in English and the translation services that were offered were “ineffective” and “inaccessible.”
Coun. Colleen Jordan, chair of the community development committee, responded to the criticisms. In regards to the consultation process not prioritizing Metrotown residents, she said it’s important to invite the whole community to participate.
“This is a 40-year horizon we’re talking about, to make this our downtown centre. It’s a citywide process,” she said.
As for gathering public input during the summer months, she said staff have been active in the community.
“We have gone out. We’ve done, I believe, three presentations at the neighbourhood house. We’ve done presentations at the library. It’s not just about going online and doing the survey. Our staff have been meeting with residents and meeting with concerned groups,” the councillor said.
Jordan added there will be many other opportunities for residents to have a say, noting it’s still early on in the process and the project will have to go to a public hearing before it gets approved.
Phase 2 of the public consultation process, which starts in the fall, will focus on a draft of the plan. Jordan said an information package will be sent out to every household around that time.
Michael Blais, a resident of 6420 Silver Ave., also spoke at the press conference, sharing his demoviction story.
In June, he was forced to move from Coquitlam to Burnaby after his home was to be bulldozed. Blais said he never heard about a public consultation process prior to being told to move.
“Nobody seemed to know. When you’re not informed as to the scale of the problem, you can’t plan ahead. You’re denied the opportunity to voice your concerns before you’re already displaced,” he told the media.
With that same fate looming, Blais said he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to stay in the Lower Mainland.
“We’d like to start a family here, but with the unstable housing situation, not knowing how much rent is going to be, we’ve had to put our lives on hold. We may have to retreat further into the Interior, even go as far as move in with my parents in Vernon,” he said, adding he wants action. “Surely our communities need to be a place for us to be able to live, not just a vehicle for profit.”
