The Issue:

A recent decision by the city of Surrey is mandating that homeowners evict their tenants by Jan 31, 2018. This decision has come as a direct result of multiple complaints made to the city regarding the lack of parking in the Clayton area. The city as a result wants to decommission secondary suites and displace over 300+ families. We feel that this decision is inequitable and inhumane to the families who will be impacted and will not solve the main goal of alleviating parking woes in the area.

Decommissioning secondary suites will result in:

1. The displacement of 300+ families.
2. A potential increase in homelessness as families seek to find housing in a market with low vacancy rates.
3. An increase in rental rates due to increased demand and decreased rental stock.
4. Decrease revenue to the city as owners will no longer be assessed the additional taxes on the decommissioned suites.

We believe that there is a more equitable solution to deal with the parking problem, such as: increasing parking in garages, implementing a parking permit program, improving parking efficiency by clearly outlining parking zones, adding additional parking in available green zones, and implementing a tax for all multi suites to help pay for parking initiatives in the area. Furthermore we would like to have an open dialogue with the city about changing its bylaws to allow for multiple suite rentals. We urge the city to reconsider their current plan of solving our neighborhood's parking problems. Please sign if you agree that the displacement of 300+ families in Clayton is unjust and will not solve the parking problem in the area!