PRE VOICE OF NORTH MAND WEST VANCOUVER

News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution $86-1337 72 pages 25¢

January 13, 1989

Ci
on illegal surtes

rth Shore Neighbourhood House will be serving up a seniors’. tea
Jar. 38 for eight weeks. Seniors interested in signing | up
‘or. afternoon, tea ad dance event should call 987-8138.

ERR Fen

CARD Ee

NEX/8 photo Kilke Wehelleld

NORTH VANCOUVER City apartment owner Lioyd English
(foreground) and illegal suite tenant Ole Trannum (background) display
News accounts of recent North Vancouver City Council debates over il-

legal suites and low-cost housing.

LOCAL LANDLCRD
TAKEN TO COURT

NORTH VANCOUVER City
legal suites in the municipality.

And the outcome of the first of
more than a hali dozen illegal suite
cases the city plans to take to court
could result is the loss of inexpen-
sive housing for seven low-income

people.

Lloyd English, the owner of a
29-year-old apartment building in
the 100-block of West 19th Street,
appeared in North Vancouver pro-
vincial court Jan. 6 to plead guilty
to charges of operating seven il-
legal suites. But a court decision
on the guilty plea has been held
over to Jan. 20.

Said English, ‘Jt would be
devastating and a hardship to evict
these people who occupy them
now. They are all on limited in-
comes and it is affordable housing.
Two of these people have lived
here for 15 years and 24 years
respectively.”’

Sixty-seven-year-old Ole Tran-
num has lived in a 300-square-foot
room for the past 24 years. He
lives on a $750-per-month pension
and pays $260 a month for rent.

“*it would be practically im-
possible for me to find another
place for this price,’’ he said. ‘It’s
been my home and it’s a comfor-
table place to five. We consider
Lloyd a good landiord."’

The legal suites are small
housekeeping rooms. English said
five 300-square-foot rooms were
added to the basement in 1963.
Two 250-square-foot rooms were

is putting the squeeze on il-

added during the Expo 86 period.
Rents for the illegal suites vary
from $260 to $360.

Although English was fined $450
in 1964 for the five original illegal
suites, he said the city automatical-
ly continued to renew his licence to
operate the building.

Said city licensing inspector Per-
cy Melville, ‘‘There apparently was
no follow-up by the city following
the fine.’’

In addition, English’s business
licence was changed in 1965. The
original licence allowed for 12
suit2s; che new licence allowed for
a maximum of 14 suites.

Said Francis Caouette, North
Vancouver City administrative
coordinator of development ser-
vices, ‘Essentially what was done
was to reflect the economic fact of
the situation there at the time.”’

The suites were inspected fol-
towing the receipt vy the city of a
written complaint October 1987.
English alleged the compiaint was
made by 2 former empioyee.

“She wanted $20,000 to keep
quiet about the extra rooms,"* he
said.

Following inspection, English
was given notice April 1988 to
remove the kitchens in the suites.

See Vacancy
Page 5