Jeff Masuda

Articles by Jeff Masuda

On April 7th Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) volunteers held a news conference to install this fake development permit sign at a city of Vancouver owned site at 58 W. Hastings. Erecting the sign was the first action in CCAP's Our Homes Can't Wait campaign which is calling for all levels of government to build 100% welfare rate housing on 10 Downtown Eastside sites, a rent freeze, and protecting and improving SRO hotel rooms. The campaign also wants the city to implement the community vision of 100% welfare rate housing for Chinese seniors, Indigenous people, homeless people and SRO residents on the site at 58 W. Hastings which is now a community garden. So far groups representing or serving over 9,000 people have endorsed the campaign.

Lessons about “community inclusion” from the DTES Local Area Planning Process

In 2014, the city of Vancouver approved a new Local Area Plan (LAPP) for the Downtown Eastside after four bitter years of consultation. Low-income community groups tend to view the LAPP as a failure as it continues to displace their vulnerable community. Low-income people participated in the process but they were drowned out. Other groups, like Japanese Canadians, wanted to help build a socially just community, but were mostly ignored. (…)