Election fears trump supportive-housing for B.C. NDP

Vaughn Palmer: The housing minister denied the government was “hitting pause on our commitment to addressing homelessness in Richmond.”

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Published Sep 06, 2024  •  4 minute read

Opponents staged a protest against the planned social housing project in Richmond on Aug. 10, 2024. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

VICTORIA — Premier David Eby has suspended work for now on a controversial housing project for homeless people in Richmond, where three NDP MLAs are fighting for re-election.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon announced the news on the Friday before the Labour Day long weekend, the preferred timing for a government seeking to minimize the fallout from a cynical decision.

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“Solutions that help break the cycle of homelessness are complicated and must be done in partnership with communities and municipalities,” said Kahlon, trying to soften the blow for homeless advocates.

Then the news: “The province, through B.C. Housing, is suspending our work on the proposed new six-storey supportive-housing building at Cambie and Sexsmith roads in Richmond.”

The 90-unit project, adjacent to a park in a neighbourhood frequented by seniors, had become a target for protests. Residents feared it would become a magnet for crime and drug use.

“These types of assumptions are stigmatizing and harmful,” said B.C. Housing, defending the project in a statement to CBC News.

Yet the housing agency suggested there might be something to the concerns, by announcing that the project would be staffed 24/7 and fitted out with security cameras, fenced grounds and restricted access.

Caught off guard by the NDP government’s reversal was Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.

“We have been working on this project for quite a number of years,” he told Global News. Scrapping it would not make the homeless disappear, said Brodie.

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“So I ask the question, would people rather deal with them when they are housed, when they have a basic level of housing and a roof over their head and some kind of security?”

Kahlon denied the government was “hitting pause on our commitment to addressing homelessness in Richmond.”

Rather, the province was reaching out to Brodie and his city for another round of consultation.

“We remain open to exploring this or other sites as potential locations, but we need to take a step back, hear from the community and reassess our options.”

Celebrating the NDP backdown for now was the organizer of the Stop Cambie Permanent Housing campaign, Sheldon Starrett.

But he wasn’t fooled by the government’s timing or its long-term intentions.

“While we welcome the pause on this project for greater consultation,” said Starrett, “we recognize this suspension is likely only a tactic to avoid any scrutiny and criticism directed at the government until after the provincial election.”

Kash Heed, the former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister now serving on Richmond council, drew much the same conclusion about the NDP’s “flip-flop.”

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“Now we’re going toward a political election. Now they’re fearful. Now it seems that all of their principles for looking after people have gone out the window, and all there are, are making political decisions where they think they will get their votes.”

Kahlon didn’t deny that the New Democrats had caved to political pressure and election timing.

He confirmed to David Carigg of Postmedia that he’d decided to pause the project after lobbying from two of the three NDP MLAs for Richmond, Henry Yao and Kelly Greene.

Both had contacted him to say there had been a lot of concern in the community over the lack of consultation about the development and its location.

This was the NDP government’s second intervention to try to save the political fortunes of Yao, Greene and Arman Singh, the third of the MLAs elected in the NDP’s breakthrough in Richmond in the last provincial election.

All three are fighting for re-election in what is expected to be a competitive campaign against a resurgent B.C. Conservative party.

Back in February, there were protests in Richmond over plans by the Vancouver Coastal Health region to establish a supervised drug consumption site in the community.

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Initially, Health Minister Adrian Dix had a good word for the plan, arguing that such sites help limit deaths from toxic drugs.

Critics feared a repeat of the influx of drug addicts that a generation earlier led some Chinese Canadians to abandon Chinatown and move to Richmond.

After angry protests erupted at a Richmond council meeting where the proposal was under discussion, the safe drug consumption site for Richmond was scrapped suddenly and decisively.

Later it came out that the office of Premier David Eby had intervened directly to help persuade the health region to back off. Confirmation was obtained by Glacier Media through an access to information request.

This time the hand of central government was more direct and obvious.

Until the intervention by Kahlon, who is deputy premier as well as housing minister, B.C. Housing was arguing for the Richmond supportive housing project in glowing terms:

“These homes would address the urgent need for supportive. Housing and help reduce the risk of people experiencing homelessness in Richmond.”

But upon reflection, the premier and his colleagues concluded the greater urgency was the risk to the re-election chances of a trio of NDP MLAs.

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My mistake: The report, commissioned by the premier into last year’s Chinatown stabbings, has not been released. Friday, I wrongly reported it was out.

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