Here’s Ken Sim’s PR about Little Mountain as shared on the City of Vancouver’s web site:

https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/groundbreaking-on-little-mountain-redevelopment-april-2024.aspx

Allan Buium shared with me his thoughts on the recent “celebration” at Little Mountain (see below in italics) and I’m sharing them with you.

I was there and I did ask a question (so questions were not exclusively asked by selected news makers). I asked if BC Housing was in attendence at the event. I was told that they were not.

This was unfortunate because I was going to follow up on the story of Michelle Wright, a single mother with two children who was evicted from Little Mountain with her parents back in 2008. Michelle has been denied the right to return to where she lived until she was 12 years old. I like to think of Michelle as one of the “Children of Little Mountain“. BC Housing promised that all former tenants of Little Mountain are entitled to the right to return. Who at BC Housing is blocking the return of them and why do they continue to punish the former tenants of Little Mountain? Listen to Michelle’s interview with Stephen Quinn of CBC Radio in my previous post.

I can understand why BC Housing doesn’t want to attend. They might just face difficult questions about their most notorious and public failure — the tragedy of Little Mountain.

Here’s Allan Buium’s remarks:

— Allan is chair of the RPSC Advisory Group, a grass roots community organization —

I usually don’t comment on news articles but having attended the “ceremony” there needs to be a bit of clarification on what transpired. The media in attendance were the only people allowed to ask questions. The event was not a celebration but rather a moment to reflect on the travesty that has taken place at the site since 2008. The Campbell gov’t. sold the taxpayers of BC down the river and Holborn has been the winner in this real estate debacle. Good housing was bulldozed prior to the Olympics and the residents that were forced out were told they would be into new housing by 2010. To date, only one building (social housing) has been occupied and the second, immediately to the east of the site is an 8 storey social housing building that was to be occupied by late Fall of 2023 — Ravi Kahlon’s announcement. That building will not be occupied for quite a few months. No one made any reference to the building and when I mentioned it to the media there was no interest in that story.

There was no real commentary on the new building, that received this coverage, as it will be the new Little Mt. Neighbourhood House and that will occupy the first 2 floors of the structure. Day Care will be in this space. Unfortunately the LMNH is still waiting for final approval and this was not mentioned by the City nor Holborn. The positive comments of who will operate the social housing was noted — SUCCESS.

Sim and his Council took credit for the social housing on the site and that is not accurate. Holborn and ABC are in each other’s pockets and that was witnessed on Nov. 1st when Council approved a motion that allows Holborn to sell  3 market condo buildings but can’t occupy them until all social housing is completed and occupied. But Holborn is still able to acquire $$$ from the pre-sale of the condos — probably in the $1M plus price range.

I won’t go into the financial deal that Holborn made with the Provincial gov’t. but you can read about the deal by going to    rpscvisions.ca

Holborn was asked a question on why the progress in developing the site has been so slow. They said that they would not go back and discuss this.

The event was a PR stunt to make ABC and Holborn look like the good guys which, from the community’s perspective, is not accurate. It was a real estate debacle that we are all paying for. Holborn’s sales office just east of 33rd & Ontario is near completion and will probably be open for sales in the near future. Drive by and have a look!!!!

Riley Park South Cambie Advisory Group (RPSCAG) has been involved in this scene since 2008 and all we are able to do is be the community “watchdog” and report the “truth” of what the site represents. There’s much more to this story but you probably get the gist of what is happening.

Allan Buium, Chair

on behalf of the RPSCAG