Op-ed: No one should be prevented from using air conditioners in their home
This op-ed was originally published in the Vancouver Sun on August 11 2023. By Dr. Sarah Marsden, Director of Systems Change and Legal, and Katie Koncan, Director of Development and Communications Summers are getting hotter in Vancouver and across B.C. every year. Two years ago, a deadly heat dome killed 619 people in the province. […]
We Need Low Income CERB Amnesty.
Since Canada’s economic relief packages went out, they have refunded clawbacks from seniors, given self-employed Canadians repayment amnesty, and partially provided relief for students. And, despite all that, they are now pursuing low-income Canadians to reclaim their benefits through clawbacks, wage reductions, or impossible-to-repay fines (upwards of $20,000 in some cases). This is not money […]
Tell Vancouver City Government we urgently need affordable housing solutions
British Columbia is experiencing an ongoing affordable housing crisis and Vancouver is the epicenter. Low-income, vulnerable, and marginalized populations are particularly at risk: cost of living continues to increase, fires and unsafe conditions continue to displace residents, and extreme cold and weather events make it even more dangerous for those who are underhoused or unhoused […]
Our Position: Drug Policy
Introduction The toxic drug overdose crisis has reached a point in British Columbia where bold action is necessary to prevent more deaths. To combat the overdose crisis we need legal regulation of an accessible safe supply with minimal barriers, to decriminalize drugs, and to actively address intersecting challenges such as poverty and homelessness, racism and […]
Demand drug policy changes to save lives
Let your MLA know that we need bigger and bolder changes for decriminalization and legal regulation to be effective, and to stop drug overdose deaths. The Government of British Columbia’s approach to drug policy is flawed and set up to fail. The province needs to take bolder action—immediately—to end the overdose crisis. Over 10,000 lives […]
Eviction Survey
Help tell the story of eviction in British Columbia. Have you been evicted or forced to move? Share your story and the impact it’s had on you. We want to use this information to help make tenant protections stronger in B.C. This project is being run by the Legal Advocacy program at First United […]
Five Recommendations for Police Reforms
Today our Advocacy Manager, Didi Dufresne, is speaking to the BC Legislative Assembly on Reforming the Police Act with the following recommendations: 5 Points Overview of Recommendation: 1. Granting self-governance to Indigenous People, who will no longer be subjected to police authority without consent. 2. Banning police street checks. 3. Decriminalizing sex work, drug possession, […]
For immediate release: BC Tenants’ Rights Advocates Unite to Call for Eviction Ban
For Immediate Release March 24, 2020 Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories Yesterday, Canadians were given a clear and direct order from Prime Minister Trudeau: “go home and stay home.” But how can renters stay home when threatened with losing their homes through evictions? Tenants’ rights advocates in BC are calling on the provincial government to ensure […]
Open Letter to Minister Shane Simpson on COVID-19 Supports: April 7, 2020
We appreciate Minister Simpson’s quick and responsive action for people with disabilities, low-income workers, and others dependent on income assistance to meet their needs in the face of COVID-19. We are relieved to see that many of the actions we called for have been implemented by the provincial government. But we know there are still […]
Guest Bans during COVID-19: Letter for Tenants
Right now, we are living at the intersection of two public health emergencies: COVID-19 and the overdose crisis. The actions we take to keep our communities safe must reflect that. A spike in overdose deaths – the highest single month in over a year – coincides roughly with when B.C. instituted physical distancing measures and […]