rat

March 4, 1992 48 pages

Office, Editorial 985-213

Suite

Honest illegal suite landlords ‘penalized’ by decision against extending registration program initiated in 1988 by NV District

HOMEOWNERS AMONG a group of 297 who voluntari- ly registered their secondary suites with the North Van- couver District registered ilteyal suite “RIS) phase-out pro- gram say they are being penalized for their honesty after council recently decided not to extend the registration pro-

gram.

Council initiated the RIS pro- gram in 1988 as a means of iden- tifying and inspecting non-family secondary suites in single- family-zoned areas. Suite owners who registered their suites under the program pay additional water and sewage service fees and must close their suites by 1995.

In 1987 council adopted a rezoning bylaw to make registered inlaw suites legal in single-family homes.

A Lynn Valley-area single parent who registered an illegal suite located in her home says she is ‘‘disgusted”’ by the policy.

Said the woman, who asked not to be identified, ‘‘I dutifully paid my fees, had everything assessed and (had) plumbing, wiring, safety doors brought up to code.

“Many other homes in my area did not. They have not been taken to task in any way, and over the years my contribution in extra service taxes is hundreds of extra dollars.

“I let part of our home to a te- nant to help with our finances so that we never have to ask the government for hand-outs in the form of welfare or UIC,” she ad- ded.

An 81-year-old Upper Lonsdale area illegal suite registrant has paid an extra $800 for services since signing up with the RIS.

Said the woman, who installed the suite for medical reasons so that she would not be alone, ‘‘I’m terribly frustrated. I feel we've been completely made fools of.

“The fact that they are charging almost double the water and sewer tates, we are not only being made fools of, we were lied to. At the time they said there would only be a slight increase (for services)."*

North Vancouver District Ald. Ernie Crist believes the district will see a proliferation of second- ary suites now that the RIS pro- gram has not been extended. He sees the regulation of secondary suites as the best possible option.

Said Crist, ‘‘Those 297 already registered will be officially phased out in 1995. They lose their suites. They will not get reimbursed, they cannot extend it. [t’s utter, com- plete, total chaos. The council of

By Michael Becker News Reporter

44 Those 297 already registered... will not get reimbursed, they cannot extend it. It’s utter

complete, total chaos. 99

— NVD Ald. Ernie Crist

the District of North Vancouver in their incompetence have just put the nail in the livability of the District of North Vancouver.

“One of the key elements of this secondary suite issue was con- trol, that is inspection of suites to ensure they are fit for human habitation. That is not going to be done. So how people who are concerned about people’s welfare can turn on something like that, at the expense of the standards we have fought for in this country, is beyond me,”’ he added.

Ald. Janice Harris, who voted against the RIS extension, said the estimated 3,000 to 4,000 unregistered suites in the district will continue to exist, and she said complaints about illegal suites are acted upon by district inspectors. The municipality receives about 50 iliegal-suite complaints per year.

Harris said those who have reg- istered iflegal suites should be allowed to be released ‘**from their contractual obligations.’”

WEDNESDAY

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N. Shore Now: 17

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NEWS photo Paul McGrath

Ambleside tumble

A PLAYER from Little Caesars (in red) tumbles over a Deep Cove Brewer in a North Shore intermediate Soccer Association game at West Vancouver’s Ambleside Park on Saturday. For information on local community sports see page 13.