Well over 300 public comments in opposition to SLP’s development proposal were submitted online to the City of Ottawa’s development applications portal. Reload this page for a random one each time.
“Hello, I am writing in solidarity with the Bank Block Tenants, a group of tenants living at 227 Bank St. and 178 Nepean St., as well as all the other tenants living in the block that has been targeted for demolition by this proiect. s.14(1) s.14(1) have been a member of the Ottawa community for more than a decade now, interacting with the neighbours, and attending community events in the area. As you are no doubt already aware of, the housing on this block has never been subject to the level of upgrades that would push marginalized tenants out; either by Renoviction, or Above Guideline Rent Increases (AGIs). As such, the turnover on these units has been low, and rent has also stayed relatively low. Some of the tenants have been living on this block for 40+ years. Income and savings tend to be low on this block. Access to credit and loans are limited. They do not have property to liquidate in cases of emergency. For this development proposal, Mass Eviction appears to be central to the process of adding value. Though the current tenants would occupy only 5% of proposed new units, there is no plan to rehouse them in the finished development at the current rents. Market rate for a 1-bedroom apartment rental in Ottawa is currently averaging $2000/month. This is completely out of reach for most of the tenants on this block. The waitlist for subsidized housing is 5+ years. If they became homeless due to eviction, then they would qualify for priority status, which brings the wait time down to 2+ years. Evicting our neighbours for “upgrades” is unethical. Unless these community members can be rehoused in the new development at their current rates and/or rehoused in safe, comfortable and affordable places in an area that they want to live in- aka not forced to move to- this project should not go ahead. Thank you. ”
Anonymized comments were obtained through the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Read all the comments here. (Last updated for the time period Feb. 12, 2023 to Oct. 5, 2024).
