The clock is ticking on a group of housing advocates who have occupied a vacant building slated for demolition in the Metrotown area.
On Thursday, the B.C. Supreme Court granted Amacon Developments, the owner of the property, an injunction that would allow police to remove the protesters from the building immediately.
Members of Alliance Against Displacement began occupying the building at 5025 Imperial St. on Saturday and have vowed to stay until they are forcibly removed. The occupation is part of an ongoing battle between housing advocates and city hall over the issue of “demovictions.”
As of Thursday afternoon at press time, a handful of members of the group were still occupying the building and preparing for arrest.
Dave Diewert, a member of Alliance Against Displacement, said the group tried to argue in court that granting the injunction would hurt both renters and some of the homeless who were now living in the vacant building.
“I think the decision is horrible,” he told the NOW.
Diewert, who has also been staying in the building since Saturday, said he was prepared to be arrested.
“To abandon that at this point, to comply with the law, goes against our basic principle,” he said.
The main demand from the group remains that the city put a moratorium on the demolition of buildings in the Metrotown area. The group is also calling on the city to scrap a proposed update to the Metrotown Development Plan.
Earlier this week, Mayor Derek Corrigan blamed provincial and federal governments for the current situation with housing.
He also argued the city doesn’t have the authority to stop the demolition of buildings, and if the properties weren’t rezoned to a higher density, they would still be torn down and replaced under existing zoning.
No matter how the occupation ends, the group believes the action has brought the message about the demoviction issue in Burnaby to the greater public.
“This has been a good action to raise the profile of this issue that we’ve been so distraught about,” Diewert said.
Meanwhile, over the course of the week, several homeless people have taken up residence in the building.
Carl, who did not want to use his last name, started sleeping in Burnaby streets about a year ago. Most recently, he said he was sleeping in an armchair in an alley near Imperial. At first, he refused the offer to stay in the building, but after some thought he decided to stay.
“I haven’t had a door I can lock in a long time,” Carl said, noting he’ll be back sleeping on the streets once the court order is upheld.
Over the last few days, a number of people and groups have also stopped by the site to offer support and encouragement.
Rick McGowan of the Metrotown Residents’ Association said his organization supports the protesters, and he criticized local politicians and other community groups for staying silent on the issue.
He also suggested the projected 3,000 units under the proposed Metrotown plan was a low estimate, adding there needs to be pressure on the city to stop the plan before more units are lost.
The specific building on Imperial had 23 units and is part of four parcels of property being demolished to make way for a new highrise tower.
In court documents, Amacon said Hazmat work required for the demolition is scheduled for July 18 and is expected to continue for two weeks. The company also argued it would suffer “irreparable harm” if the injunction were not granted.
