Housing advocate launches lawsuit against BC Housing

Graeme Wood

Glacier Media

A social housing advocate from Delta, who has recently launched a class-action lawsuit against BC Housing, says she’s disappointed an audit of the government operator made public by the provincial government only examined one partner provider that of Atira Women’s Resource Society

Elizabeth Zbitnoff says she was hoping for more to come out of the recent release of the Ernst and Young forensic audit.

The Ladner resident says the findings of conflict of interest between Atira and former BC Housing CEO Shayne Ramsay “ goes to the bigger problem” that being systemic mismanagement of social housing units, including her own Zbitnoff is one of a dwindling number of residents of Ladner Willows, a townhouse complex that provides subsidized housing to low and moderate income-earning people, as well as those with disabilities

The reason why it’s a dwindling number is because the 40-unit complex fell into disrepair, she told Glacier Media.

“It started to become where someone would move out and they didn’t re-rent it,” said Zbitnoff, who claims there was “purposeful neglect” on the part of BC Housing-appointed non-profit housing provider Red Door Housing, starting in the 2010s.

“When I moved in (in 2007) the place was completely re-done and brand new; the outside was impeccable Power washing, you name it,” said Zbitnoff

But then, she claims, “ everything stopped being maintained” and by 2018 numerous units were overcome with mould

And so, the housing provider applied to re-develop the site. The application failed at a public hearing last June, as City of Delta councillors heard of concerns about how the provider had maintained the previous units and problems with evictions and re-locating residents.

“There was a lack of transparency, ” said Zbitnoff.

The proposal was to build a 150-unit apartment of nonmarket housing.

Zbitnoff asserts BC Housing benefits from such proposals because the additional units (which provide lesser subsidies) are used to subsidize replacements of the existing ones And opponents such as her argue that through the process, residents face evictions, lose ground-level and familysized living spaces and there’s no additional “deep subsidy” units added to the stock.

Zbitnoff and fellow Red Door Housing tenant Janna Martin, found a law firm to launch a class-action lawsuit against BC Housing, Red Door Housing and cities where the provider operates.

“At all material times, BC Housing knew or ought to have known the Properties suffered from severe deficiencies …which made it unsafe, unhealthy and unfit for habitation, as a result of the age of the structure and years of neglect,” the claim states.

The claim names as defendants the municipalities of Delta, Surrey, Coquitlam, Vancouver, Burnaby, Maple Ridge and Port Coquitlam, as they are allegedly responsible for the enforcement of bylaws regarding health and safety of

Buildings

The claim alleges “systemic failures” on the part of the defendants, which underscores the class-wide basis of the claim

According to Zbitnoff, their lawyers Rakinder Sahota and Patrick Dudding have yet to serve the defendants since the claim was filed in BC Supreme Court March 17 in Victoria.

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