Hello everyone,

Over the past year, local citizens have been lobbying DNV Council members to change the model of this building to be drug- and alcohol-free. Many of our original concerns have proven valid, and similar communities have reported the same negative experiences. The Province has a history of pushing this model despite strong opposition, and through networking with other communities, we’ve found that we are not alone in facing these challenges.

The narrative around these sites has shifted dramatically, with the Province backtracking and reversing course on its failed policies. As a result, some DNV Council members no longer support the current Supportive Housing model and instead favor a drug- and alcohol-free facility.

A Critical Opportunity for Change
In the coming weeks, Council members will be asked to reaffirm their support for this project. We need four out of seven votes in our favor to push for change.

How You Can Help
We need the community to re-engage with Council by emailing council@dnv.org and restating your concerns. If you only have time for a quick email, copy and paste the text below:

 
Subject: Concerns Regarding 1200 East Keith Road
I am a homeowner/resident/taxpayer in the DNV, and I have significant safety concerns regarding the proposed supportive housing complex at 1200 East Keith Road. Similar projects have led to increased emergency service calls and community distress. The provincial government's track record of downloading costs onto municipalities raises concerns about future tax increases for homeowners. Additionally, recent negative press and policy failures have further eroded public confidence. I urge the Council to reconsider this project to ensure it aligns with the community’s safety and financial stability.
 
If you’d like to provide more substance, feel free to reference the letter below from Kelly Wilkinson, who lives directly across from the proposed site and has been a key advocate against this model. He makes several strong points worth considering.

If you’d like to connect with Kelly, you can reach him at concernedcitizensofeastkeith@gmail.com.

This is a real opportunity to change the direction of this project. Please take a moment to email Council and encourage others to do the same.

Thank you.

February 24, 2025

District of North Vancouver Council

council@dnv.org

Dear Council Members:

Re: Keith Road Supportive Housing Complex in the District of North Vancouver

My name is Kelly Wilkinson, and I represent the Concerned Citizens of East Keith Road (CCEK), a community group of over 2,200 members formed in response to the public hearing and rezoning application approval in February 2024 for the supportive housing complex proposed at 1200 East Keith Road. I am a homeowner and taxpayer in the District of North Vancouver, residing at 1301 8th Street East, directly across from the proposed site. I have two young children who enjoy playing on the street in front of our house.

As you are aware, the hearing process was highly controversial and, I dare say, adversarial to our community. The outright dismissal of community concerns was both confusing and hurtful. Over the past year, we have educated ourselves and networked with individuals in similar situations. Our findings have only amplified our concerns, leading us to firmly believe that a low-barrier wet facility is unsuitable for our community.

A similar precedent exists in Kelowna with Stephen Village. I have met with residents living near that facility, who were given the same assurances as us, with much emphasis on the 'good neighbor agreement.' Unfortunately, those assurances turned out to be misinformation and lies. The community now faces a situation far worse than our old travel lodge community. This building was 'purpose-built' to avoid such issues. Please view the link below to understand their challenges. I would be happy to arrange a meeting with my colleagues in Kelowna so they can share their experiences, including instances where SRO residents attempted to burn down neighboring houses for calling the police. Is this what we are to expect here?

Petition · Change Stephen Village - Kelowna, Canada · Change.org

Much has changed in the political landscape since our hearing process. The provincial government has been significantly weakened, and the rhetoric around these projects is shifting dramatically. There has been ample negative press, whistleblowing, and political backtracking to demonstrate that these situations are not working (the Premier admitted it himself during the election campaign).

Significant developments include (but are not limited to):

Kitsilano Coalition proves Bill 26 Unconstitutional: 
Kitsilano decision could affect entire province - Victoria Times Colonist

City of Vancouver pulls support:
Ken Sim calls for pause on supportive housing in Vancouver - Business in Vancouver
 ·  City of Richmond cancels project:

·    Richmond City Council cancels supportive housing project

Deborah Buxton (who spoke at our hearing about the virtues of supportive housing and life at the Travel Lodge)::
 Closure of North Vancouver complex raises questions about B.C. social housing

Safety issues aside, how will the District fund this project? During the hearing, proponents claimed there would be no additional load on local services, but studies suggest otherwise:

·  Vancouver emergency services strained by SRO housing calls | Urbanized

·  Low-Barrier Supportive Housing: The Real Story

With 16+ calls a day, how will emergency services even reach the site given the Keith Road and Highway 1 traffic issues?

This provincial government has a history of downloading effort and cost to municipalities. Will local homeowners bear this cost? It seems the only way to manage this is through significant tax increases. Our taxes already exceed $10,000 per year, yet service delivery continues to decline. We have had significant safety concerns on our street for six years, and current DNV services cannot handle the load from one house, as admitted by Police/Fire.

This frustration is compounded when you consider the alternatives. Over the past year, we have been isolated and labeled as 'against housing people.' Harm reduction activists attack anyone opposing their methods, disregarding the needs of the entire community. Consequently, communities across BC have united behind the following Call for Change:

Call For Change

This province-wide movement exposes current policy failures and advocates for more humane solutions that consider the entire community. We are a new group approaching 50,000 members, dedicated to lobbying the Province and Local Councils for science-based policies and solutions. We also support anyone attacked for holding opposing viewpoints to the current government narrative.

It is clear that the general public no longer trusts the Province or local municipalities on this issue. Negative press, whistleblowing, and opposition-led awareness have eroded confidence in leadership. Other drug and housing policy failures, including the recent report on safe supply diversion, have created an environment where the public feels decision-makers do not have community concerns in mind. Additionally, we feel these decisions are being made in Victoria, not our local communities.

This sentiment is not isolated to North Vancouver. Ten provincial seats flipped on the public safety issue. More public officials are taking a stand against this type of development and approval process. When other municipalities listen to their communities and ours does not, it creates a lack of trust and causes us to lose faith in our leadership. If this council does not see the need to approach this project with more caution, we will focus on the next municipal election cycle and seek those who do.

In closing, we are not against housing and would like to see a housing project on that site. However, given the revelations of the past year, we cannot support the inclusion of drugs and alcohol. We respectfully ask the Council to reconsider making this building drug and alcohol-free. We love our community and invest significantly to maintain it; we do not want it to deteriorate like other communities with similar buildings. We hope our elected members will partner with us in positive development and community protection. We will continue to closely monitor developments around this project and hold all decision-makers accountable.

Thank you for your time. I am available to discuss this in more detail should you wish. My contact information is below.

Regards,

Kelly Wilkinson
Concerned Citizens of East Keith Road
concernedcitizensofeastkeith@gmail.com