Coquitlam City Hall will draft a new bylaw to give more protection to renters.
Today, Nov. 25, the city’s committee heard how civic staff will use the existing Tenant Relocation Policy as the foundation for a new Tenant Protection Bylaw, as instructed by the province in Bill 16 as part of its sweeping housing reforms.
Over the past year, Victoria has enacted new legislation designed to ease the housing crunch across B.C.; municipal councils, like Coquitlam, have been critical of the changes, saying the measures ignore local decisions around growth.
Under Coquitlam’s proposed Tenant Protection Bylaw, the city will have more teeth to enforce tenant assistance policies outside of the rezoning process.
Planner Dan Ward said 61 per cent of Coquitlam’s purpose-built rental stock is at least 45 years old and 86 per cent of those units are sited within a designated Transit-Oriented Area — that is, close to a SkyTrain station or along a rapid transit route — putting tenants in older apartments at risk of displacement.
Besides ensuring their rights and offering more enforcement tools to the city, the proposed bylaw will improve clarity and certainty for tenants and developers, Ward said.
In their discussion, councillors referred to a May 2024 presentation by Hani Lamman, executive vice president of the Cressey Development Group, who argued his company shouldn’t have to pay financial compensation to tenants at Sherwood Apartments since their redevelopment bid hasn’t received approvals.
Specifically, under the planned Tenant Protection Bylaw, city staff intend to:
- adjust the tenant compensation schedule
- allowing longer-term tenants to have the same relocation cash as shorter-term tenants (who may be paying a higher rent)
- update moving cost compensation
- from 2021 rates, where moving assistance is currently $750 for a studio/one-bedroom and $1,000 for units with two or more bedrooms
- clarify tenant eligibility requirements
- fix compensation timing and payment type
- offer more criteria around tenant relocation coordinators
Ward said a report is expected to come before council next spring to spell out the specific requirements for landowners redeveloping rental properties in the city.
At the committee meeting, councillors spoke of the displacements happening around Coquitlam, especially Burquitlam, and how some tenants are complaining about developers not paying up for relocations.
However, some councillors also cautioned how the bylaw could pose a disincentive for developers. As a result of the stricter standards proposed, which may be a financial burden for developers, some rental buildings may sit empty for years, they warned.
Mayor Richard Stewart said developers should try to keep their rental buildings full until the city has issued a demolition permit. “We need to incentivize that.”
Coun. Trish Mandewo also cited an example of a city employee who didn’t apply for a promotion over fear he might lose his affordable housing with a higher salary.
“Market rental isn’t affordable for most people,” Coun. Teri Towner added.
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