Vancouver East candidates Jenny Kwan and Edward Wong talk gentrification in the Downtown Eastside

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      How do you revitalize and improve an old neighborhood like the Downtown Eastside without letting its older, lower-income residents fall prey to forces of gentrification that push them from the area?

      In separate interviews, Liberal and NDP candidates for Vancouver East conceded it’s a tough question, but one that has answers.

      The Liberal party’s Edward Wong told the Straight the key is "creativity".

      He said the federal government’s role there should be to bring prospective partners together on projects that increase rental stock while maintaining a neighbourhood’s character. As an example, he pointed to the city’s former remand centre at 250 Powell Street, which on August 5 was unveiled as an affordable housing development with units reserved for aboriginal youth and lower-income renters. Wong said he wants to see more projects of that nature by facilitating partnerships between government and private companies.

      Taking over for the NDP’s long-time Vancouver East MP Libby Davies is Jenny Kwan, the former MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant. She told the Straight the trick to avoiding gentrification is "balance", using government incentives and regulations to ensure new developments consist of a mix of low, middle, and high-income earners, as well as families, elderly people, and young professionals.

      “That’s where you do need affordable housing programs,” Kwan said.

      The Downtown Eastside is set to change in the coming years and decades. In March 2014, Vancouver city council approved a local area plan (LAP) that was designed to guide development in the neighbourhood for the next 30 years.

      social-impact assessment prepared for the LAP states that 60 percent of the Downtown Eastside’s 18,500 residents are low-income and 731 were homeless in 2013. It also notes that property values in the Downtown Eastside more than tripled between 2001 and 2013.

      That document goes on to present a variety of concerns from low-income residents that range from losing social services to feeling alienated as high-end shops and restaurants move into the neighbourhood. “The biggest fear residents have about housing is that they will lose their current housing or be displaced from the neighbourhood due to new development and rising rents caused by gentrification," it states.

      Wendy Pedersen, a long-time Downtown Eastside resident and housing advocate, said what Vancouver needs from federal government is “bricks and mortar” that ensure units subsidized to rent to low-income earners remain that way for the long term.

      “The city needs to buy property and designate it for housing, and the province and the federal government needs to put in the money to build it,” she said. “That’s the only way you can get a deep enough subsidy to house people on fixed incomes.”

      Pedersen noted the city is nearing the end of a long-term partnership with the province that will eventually see those two levels of government open a total of 14 social-housing sites across Vancouver. (Read a four-part series on those buildings the Straight published through July 2015.) She called attention to the absence of the federal government from that arrengement and called for Ottawa to ensure it is involved in the next.

      "The federal government needs to be ready to give money [for housing] to the province and the city," Pedersen said. "We need those federal dollars."

      On a recent walk through the Downtown Eastside, B.C. Housing CEO Shayne Ramsey similarly described Ottawa as exhibiting a lack of attention to affordable housing. For example, he described the looming expiration of federal operating agreements with non-profit housing providers as “one of the most important issues facing the country”.

      Ramsay warned arrangements affecting 5,900 units will expire by 2020 while an addition 24,000 units will fall into jeopardy by 2030.

      The Conservative party has yet to name a candidate for Vancouver East but has stated it intends to leave those agreements to expire.

      Kwan said that would “create a dire situation”. She promised the NDP would allocate new funding for affordable housing and maintain existing operating agreements wherever they remain required.

      Echoing remarks NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair made in Vancouver on August 9, Kwan promised the NDP would implement a federal housing strategy like the one the former federal Liberal government axed in 1997 (and which the Conservatives have long resisted calls to reinstate).

      On operating agreements, Wong said he wants to bring relevant stakeholders together to examine new ideas such as merging smaller non-profit operators and to explore additional opportunities for synergy.

      “There is no doubt those agreements have to be modernized,” he said.

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      Comments

      21 Comments

      Green voter

      Aug 13, 2015 at 4:17pm

      Seems this article is missing any reference to Vancouver East Green Party Candidate Wes Regan (which is strange considering that Van East is likely to be a race between Regan and Kwan). As the founding Executive Director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association in the DTES AND the Urban Affairs and Housing Critic for the Green Party of Canada, Wes Regan is guaranteed to have valuable perspectives on gentrification and affordable housing in the DTES (and more credibility than Kwan who threw the Portland Hotel Society under the bus after it was found that she and her family had a $30k vacation to Disneyland on the PHS time a few years ago).

      genevieve

      Aug 14, 2015 at 10:47am

      Did the reporter interview Green Party Candidate Wes Regan's for this piece? Regan is the candidate with the most experience on the gentrification issue having worked in the DTES for years. Look at other media over the past 5 years and Regan is quoted all over the place and I've seen him speak about gentrification and social enterprise at events and panel discussions. I'm very disappointed and confused as to why this article does not include Wes Regan's comments and perspective.

      Chinatowner

      Aug 14, 2015 at 11:02am

      I have worked with Wes Regan for the past few years on day to day DTES issues as well as how important he was it guiding our research for the DTES Local Area Plan for the city. No disrespect to the candidates but I have NEVER seen Gordon Wong in this neighbourhood and Jenny Kwan only on publicity opportunities.

      Mike Soron

      Aug 14, 2015 at 11:19am

      Echoing the comments from the other readers here, I'm disappointed that Wes Regan wasn't included in this article. Wes Regan is the urban affairs critic for the Green Party and a prominent speaker and practitioner of community economic development. The Straight has spoken to Regan a number of times in the past about these topics; I encourage the Straight to follow up in an interview with Wes or offer space for him to share his experience and views from working in the DTES.

      Adam O'Neill

      Aug 14, 2015 at 11:29am

      The author's omission of Vancouver East Green candidate Wes Regan from this article is quite unbelievable. Wes has dedicated the last several years of his professional and academic life to this and many other issues in the DTES. What the heck were you thinking Mr. Lupick/The Straight? I'd suggest you get in touch with Wes and add his thoughts on the issue and apologise for over looking him. I look to the Straight for balanced coverage and hope you will realize your error on this occasion and correct it.

      Johanna Henderson

      Aug 14, 2015 at 11:41am

      I came here to register my incredulity that you didn't interview the riding's Green candidate for this piece, but I see already that's the theme of the comments. Partisan politics aside, it's a massive oversight that makes you look like noobs that don't have the background/chops to be covering our community (I live in the DTES). Honestly, the guy has a hefty academic and professional background in gentrification and the DTES in particular --- he's been asked to speak at conferences across the Pacific Northwest on housing, gentrification and the unique challenges we have here in the DTES. What an oversight, seriously embarrassing for you guys.

      Jeremy Stone

      Aug 14, 2015 at 11:49am

      Just like the others are saying, why aren't you profiling Wes Regan? The Van Greens just elected Adrianne Carr to council with a majority of the votes, many of which came from East Vancouver. So clearly there is a strong Green following in the riding. Moreover, Wes has been working on these issues tirelessly for YEARS. He was intimately involved in the LAP process, and works with probably a dozen different organizations and businesses in the area. This is EXTREMELY poor reporting, especially in an article that discusses "balance".

      PeteFry

      Aug 14, 2015 at 11:50am

      Yet another comment to suggest the inclusion of Green Party's Wes Regan in this conversation.

      Beyond my personal friendship and political kinship with Wes; I know Wes has more on the ground insight into DTES gentrification, revitalization and local economic development than most people in the city, let alone the other candidates.

      I'd add that Wes was also an active committee member on the City's DTES Local Area Planning Process cited above.

      VanEast

      Aug 14, 2015 at 3:25pm

      What about the other candidates opinions? Seems biased. Would be nice to see Wes Regans views in here as well. Greens will be a major contender in Vancouver East. This is very disappointing.

      Brian Postlewait

      Aug 14, 2015 at 3:54pm

      I'm confused with the lack of input from Wes Regan. He clearly has the street-cred to weigh into this conversation. Disappointing. I hope this oversight will be corrected.