Immediate Moratorium on bylaw enforcement against housing + OCP review + LUB review

Immediate Moratorium on bylaw enforcement against housing + OCP review + LUB review

Started
February 13, 2021
Petition to
Denman Island Local Trust Committee
Signatures: 415Next Goal: 500
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Why this petition matters

Started by Riane da Silva

Islands Trust Housing Needs Assessment of 2018 states that 80 affordable homes (to house 80+ people) are needed on Denman Island.  Until the Islands Trust acts on this information, those housing needs are being met through housing options that contravene bylaws. This has gone on for decades.

With the hiring of a new Bylaw Enforcement Officer in March 2020, bylaw enforcement against illegal dwellings has been on the rise and a number of vulnerable members of our community have been or are facing eviction.

The Bylaw Enforcement Officer and Islands Trust says they are not evicting anyone. They are simply demanding that landowners get "into compliance" with the Land Use Bylaws. How those landowners do that is irrelevant to them. They simply want compliance with Land Use Bylaws. However, the only way for a land owner to get into compliance is to evict their tenants. The provincial order against eviction is not helpful as that would further penalize land owners who provide housing options.

Land Use Bylaws take their direction from the Official Community Plan. Our OCP has been scheduled for a review for some time now. As it currently is written, it does not yet support housing options. Nor do our Land Use Bylaws.

Therefore, to protect our community fabric, we the residents of Denman Island request the following:

1. An immediate moratorium on enforcement of Land Use Bylaws that would result in eviction, in any and all housing on Denman Island, and maintain that moratorium until the following are accomplished :

a) Hold an Official Community Plan (OCP) review, in consultation with a representative cross section of residents (including vulnerable renters);

b) Complete a targeted review of Housing regulations in the Land Use Bylaw 186;

c) Craft relevant and community centered Land Use Bylaws (LUB) that support and prioritize affordable housing options, sustainable and environmentally sensitive approaches to any development, and reflect the needs of a healthy and diverse community, in light of changing demographics and the impact of socio-economic conditions on rural housing security.

Support now
Signatures: 415Next Goal: 500
Support now
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Decision Makers

  • Denman Island Local Trust Committee