The Nelson Street Tenant Association was formed in Esquimalt to fight back against an impending demoviction. This is the first tenant association with connections to VicTU to “go loud” by making their story known on the Times Colonist and CTV News.

https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/esquimalt-apartment-tenants-organize-to-fight-eviction-9497630

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/i-think-we-can-stop-them-esquimalt-renters-vow-to-fight-demoviction-1.7032998

The buildings were purchased by by Belmont Properties just last year, and their very next move is to replace them with a large tower, obviously to be rented out at market rates which are way above the affordability of the current tenants.

Here’s how a demoviction plays out: The, usually low-income, tenants have been renting for a long time, and rent control has kept the costs affordable. The landlord then replaces the building with at-market rents. Even with more total units, the landlord has condemned the tenants to homelessness.

The trick for the landlord is to get the tenants out in the first place. The landlord will offer tenants money to leave, with the promise that the offer will decrease the longer the tenants wait. The best way to fight against this is to collectively refuse these offers, and draw out this phase of the eviction. Don’t sign anything without the consensus of your neighbours.

These property corporations aren’t building new buildings with more units out of some desire to solve the housing crisis on the supply side, it is to profit. They expect to lift up these homes and have the tenants scuttle away like insects. When demovictions happen, humans are being displaced. That’s what we’re up against.