Vancouver City Council Showing Signs of Financial Accountability With Removal of Renter Office

City Councillors from the majority ABC party voted last Wednesday to pivot the resources given to the Renter Office to other areas. 

Vancouver ABC councillor Lenny Zhou indicated that Vancouverites should be receiving “extensive knowledge and experience, especially from a legal perspective.”

“Some of this responsibility does not fall under the city’s jurisdiction and we are not experts in these areas,” Zhou continued.

Vancouver’s two Green councillors and the lone OneCity councillor condemned the move publicly.

Our statement, along with our one City colleague: ABC majority kills Vancouver Renters Office, leaving renters in the cold - Green Party of Vancouver

* in a housing crisis * ABC decided tenant protection office not in taxpayers interest or job of city https://t.co/zhvsWxQLBY

— Pete Fry (@PtFry) January 19, 2023

According to the City of Vancouver’s website, the Renter Office provides a first point of contact for the following:

• Answer questions

• Provide information on City policies and permits

• Refer renters to other organizations that can help

The office was able to provide information and resources in English, Cantonese and Mandarin through the Renter Enquiry Line.

City councilor Peter Meiszner took to Twitter to explain the rationale behind the decision.

It also had seven full-time staff. In fact the only person who called in to speak on this item was a frustrated renter who said they waited five days for a call back from this city-run renters office line. Non-profits are the experts in this work, not the city. 3/3 #vanpoli

— Peter Meiszner 裴智勵/裴智励 (@PeterMeiszner) January 20, 2023

The Renter Office fielded an average of 372 inquiries per year in its first four years and only 40% were Vancouver-related questions.

The office employed seven full-time staff for an average of 1.06 calls per day.

ABC councillor Rebecca Bligh explained the reality of the office’s redundancy and that a new direction is better for Vancouverites.

“We feel very confident that with our direction to staff to create a six-month transition plan no renters will fall through the cracks.”

In reality, the Renter Office would often direct inquiries to the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) and non-profit groups, such as the Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre or TRAC for legal support.

Bligh indicated “there was quite a bit of duplication of service.”

After voting to remove the Renters Office, city council approved $750,000 to continue the Renter Services Grants program for 2023 and to provide TRAC with a walk-in office located at 900 Howe Street.

Vancouverites voted for change last October, pushing for financial accountability and efficiency towards core services.

Despite being a highly debated topic amongst councillors, voters are getting what they asked for, transparency and proper usage of taxpayer dollars.