Latest news with #HowardJohnson
Vancouver Sun
30-06-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. eyes changing rules to allow eviction of problem tenants in supportive housing
The B.C. government is forming a working group to tackle a number of safety issues in supportive housing, including concerns of drug trafficking, weapons, second-hand exposure to fentanyl and the use of butane torches to heat opioids. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says there is consideration of removing the facilities from the Residential Tenancy Act, which would allow housing providers to quickly kick out dangerous people taking advantage of vulnerable tenants. The announcement comes after a number of recent incidents, including fire at the former Howard Johnson hotel in Vancouver, including one on June 11 injured two people. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Vancouver Fire Rescue says it has been called to the site more than 900 times since the facility was converted to supportive housing in 2020, and police also say they have been called to the location thousands of times in the same period. Downtown business groups in Vancouver and Victoria have made recent pleas to government about doing more to address the public safety situation, with the deteriorating conditions severely hampering businesses' ability to continue operating. Kahlon says in a statement that the group will involve police, supportive housing providers, union representatives and B.C. Housing 'to ensure safety for tenants and workers is paramount.' 'We have heard from providers that they need more authority to take action and keep people safe and we will be working with our partners to find a path forward that ensures people can live in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment,' Kahlon says. The ministry also says it is working with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to look into the impact of the toxic drug crisis on supportive housing. It says early results from testing 14 buildings in both Victoria and Vancouver show that some supportive housing areas may be 'more likely to have elevated levels of airborne fentanyl, above the limit WorkSafeBC has established.' The province says there have been almost 7,500 new supportive housing units opened in B.C. since 2017, and another 2,900 are in progress.
Hamilton Spectator
30-06-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. launches working group to address safety in supportive housing
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's government is forming a working group to tackle a number of safety issues in supportive housing, including concerns of drug trafficking, weapons and second-hand exposure to fentanyl. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says there is consideration of removing the facilities from the Residential Tenancy Act, which would allow housing providers to kick out dangerous people taking advantage of vulnerable tenants. The announcement comes after a number of recent incidents, including a fire on June 11 at the former Howard Johnson hotel in Vancouver that injured two people. Fire crews say they have been called to the site more than 900 times since the facility was converted to supportive housing in 2020, and police also say they have been called to the location thousands of times during the same period. Downtown business groups in Vancouver and Victoria have made recent pleas to government about doing more to address the public safety situation, with the deteriorating conditions severely hampering local shops' ability to continue operating. Kahlon says in a statement that the working group will involve law enforcement, supportive housing providers, union representatives and BC Housing 'to ensure safety for tenants and workers is paramount.' 'We have heard from providers that they need more authority to take action and keep people safe and we will be working with our partners to find a path forward that ensures people can live in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment,' Kahlon says. The ministry also says it is working with the BC Centre for Disease Control to look into the impact of the toxic drug crisis on supportive housing. It says early results from testing 14 buildings in both Victoria and Vancouver show that some supportive housing areas may be 'more likely to have elevated levels of airborne fentanyl, above the limit WorkSafeBC has established.' The province says there have been almost 7,500 new supportive housing units opened in B.C. since 2017, and another 2,900 are in progress. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
30-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. launches working group to address safety in supportive housing
VANCOUVER – British Columbia's government is forming a working group to tackle a number of safety issues in supportive housing, including concerns of drug trafficking, weapons and second-hand exposure to fentanyl. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says there is consideration of removing the facilities from the Residential Tenancy Act, which would allow housing providers to kick out dangerous people taking advantage of vulnerable tenants. The announcement comes after a number of recent incidents, including a fire on June 11 at the former Howard Johnson hotel in Vancouver that injured two people. Fire crews say they have been called to the site more than 900 times since the facility was converted to supportive housing in 2020, and police also say they have been called to the location thousands of times during the same period. Downtown business groups in Vancouver and Victoria have made recent pleas to government about doing more to address the public safety situation, with the deteriorating conditions severely hampering local shops' ability to continue operating. Kahlon says in a statement that the working group will involve law enforcement, supportive housing providers, union representatives and BC Housing 'to ensure safety for tenants and workers is paramount.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'We have heard from providers that they need more authority to take action and keep people safe and we will be working with our partners to find a path forward that ensures people can live in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment,' Kahlon says. The ministry also says it is working with the BC Centre for Disease Control to look into the impact of the toxic drug crisis on supportive housing. It says early results from testing 14 buildings in both Victoria and Vancouver show that some supportive housing areas may be 'more likely to have elevated levels of airborne fentanyl, above the limit WorkSafeBC has established.' The province says there have been almost 7,500 new supportive housing units opened in B.C. since 2017, and another 2,900 are in progress. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
B.C. launches working group to address safety in supportive housing
VANCOUVER — British Columbia's government is forming a working group to tackle a number of safety issues in supportive housing, including concerns of drug trafficking, weapons and second-hand exposure to fentanyl. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says there is consideration of removing the facilities from the Residential Tenancy Act, which would allow housing providers to kick out dangerous people taking advantage of vulnerable tenants. The announcement comes after a number of recent incidents, including a fire on June 11 at the former Howard Johnson hotel in Vancouver that injured two people. Fire crews say they have been called to the site more than 900 times since the facility was converted to supportive housing in 2020, and police also say they have been called to the location thousands of times during the same period. Downtown business groups in Vancouver and Victoria have made recent pleas to government about doing more to address the public safety situation, with the deteriorating conditions severely hampering local shops' ability to continue operating. Kahlon says in a statement that the working group will involve law enforcement, supportive housing providers, union representatives and BC Housing "to ensure safety for tenants and workers is paramount." "We have heard from providers that they need more authority to take action and keep people safe and we will be working with our partners to find a path forward that ensures people can live in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment," Kahlon says. The ministry also says it is working with the BC Centre for Disease Control to look into the impact of the toxic drug crisis on supportive housing. It says early results from testing 14 buildings in both Victoria and Vancouver show that some supportive housing areas may be "more likely to have elevated levels of airborne fentanyl, above the limit WorkSafeBC has established." The province says there have been almost 7,500 new supportive housing units opened in B.C. since 2017, and another 2,900 are in progress. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Global News
12-06-2025
- Global News
B.C. government plans to transition supportive housing out of Granville Street, mayor says
The provincial government has announced plans to transition supportive housing out of the Granville Street entertainment district, according to Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. This announcement comes after a fire broke out in a single-room occupancy building on the strip on Wednesday, leaving two people needing treatment for smoke inhalation. The fire broke out in the former Howard Johnson hotel that now serves as a single-room accommodation housing facility. The B.C. government bought the building at 1176 Granville in 2020, and controversially converted it to housing as it sought to shelter the city's homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic quickly. It has since generated thousands of emergency calls, with residents setting fires, pulling fire alarms and setting off the building's sprinkler systems. 'We want to support the entire community, the business community, with our resources,' Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said at a press conference on Thursday. Story continues below advertisement 'The resources are finite, and we have to be responsible with those resources. So attending one residence or one building, I think since COVID, some of the stats show that we've been here almost 4,000 times to one facility. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'And when you cram people into one building… and there's tension amongst the residents, this spills out over into the streets. It impacts the businesses.' 5:13 Big changes in the works for the Granville entertainment district Sim said the city will help the provincial government identify and provide city-owned lands to build supportive housing that are capped at 40 units that provide on-site security. 'Initiatives that will include Road to Recovery, so it will help the residents that will live in these units, an opportunity to get better, and overall wraparound services that will address mental health challenges that the residents face,' he added. Story continues below advertisement There are currently eight SRO buildings, containing about 600 rooms, along the Granville Strip. B.C.'s Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon told Global News that the next move is in the City of Vancouver's hands. 'They've committed to us that they will find three net-new locations for supportive housing and once they're able to do that, we'll get going on that,' he said. 'In the end, our priority is two things. One, we want to see a healthy and safe community but we also want to make sure that people have housing and they have the supports they need. In this plan, we believe we can do both.'
