The image of ‘a green city’ has been used to bring people on the side of the developers. The truth is that we are losing precious green space. The front gardens and backyards of the houses that get torn down are not replaced.

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There is no requirement that ample green space surround towers or other multi-story structures. We lose our clean air, as population densifies and the number of cars on our roads increases.

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What is driving the ongoing rezoning and densification is primarily profit – the handsome profits that developers, construction corporations, and real estate speculators are making.

City Council is supposed to be worried about preserving our forests. However, tearing down sturdy houses and buildings that could be renovated has not only been made easy. It has become the norm. Structures built to last for 60 to 100 years are replaced by new ones built to last 30. City Council does not seem worried about the incredible waste that this represents.

Our single family detached homes are being bulldozed to make way for concrete monster towers and other multi-story structures, yet we are no closer to housing even the people that are already here. The price of the new tiny apartments for sale is prohibitive for most people. In addition, rental accommodation has become scare and expensive.

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Is City Council developing the city to house ‘the millions’ or to allow for handsome profits for the few?

‘Temporary Modular Housing’ is the type of housing that Vancouver City Council has recently approved as a response to the need for senior and low-income housing. This is housing with units each with a total square footage of two hundred and fifty, 250 sq ft!

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After tearing down some of the existing low-income housing, Council is unwilling to  require builders of multi-story structures to designate a percentage of units for social housing (London requires 30% of each tower). But it is happy enough to condemn those in need to live in super crammed conditions.