THE BC United said on Thursday that it is once again calling for accountability and transparency from the NDP as Freedom of Information (FOI) documents reveal yet another delayed and buried housing report commissioned by Premier David Eby’s government.
“It’s incredible that David Eby is sitting on yet another damning housing report — this one stemming from serious and potentially deadly concerns at an NDP-built temporary modular housing site,” said Kevin Falcon, BC United Leader. “British Columbians deserve to know what is going on in government-run housing, especially if potential mismanagement is costing people’s lives. Premier Eby must instruct Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon to immediately release the report into the Royal Crescent modular housing site and be honest with British Columbians about its findings.”
The BC United said that a recent FOI request confirmed that a secretive report into the Royal Crescent modular housing site, which was originally constructed and opened by the NDP in October 2018, has been completed, but wasn’t been released to the public. The report was prompted by allegations of several deaths at the site, criminal activity among staff, and criminal activity affecting the safety of tenants that was not responded to properly.
“For years, BC United has been raising concerns about David Eby’s strategy of warehousing vulnerable people without desperately needed supports,” said Karin Kirkpatrick, BC United Critic for Housing. “It’s not enough to simply put a roof over someone’s head while ignoring their other complex needs, but time and time again we have seen the NDP do just that. It’s critical the public see this report on the Royal Crescent site so we can truly know the impact of David Eby’s warehousing policies on our province’s most vulnerable people.”
The BC United said that Eby and his NDP government have a long history of burying reports on BC Housing, including a BDO report and two reviews by Ernst and Young, all showing evidence of continued financial mismanagement and chaos at BC Housing and Atira Women’s Resources Society.
