Historic rubble, not for humanity.

[Mad dab]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, with a disclaimer that I'm not well versed in the policies and practices of this Nature.

I am often in the lower mainland these days. A place I used to find hauntingly beautiful and unique , is, in my opinion, becoming a faceless high-rise jungle, with beautiful landscapes and unique homes being ripped up and replaced with lego boxes and uniform shrubs. While I understand wy this is necessary, I can't help but feel a sentimental loss of a city that has always felt so eccentric and old growth beautiful. Like the attic of the granny who traveled everywhere and tried everything. Every balcony, every ornate fixing, stirring up wonder of the mish mash of inhabitants, adding their own touches. Gnarling vines and trellises, beautiful wood, Priceless things that made Vancouver Vancouver, to me.

Needless to say, I notice. I notice what is left there, and much of it is boarded up. Now I know we can all agree, that these are not homes of the poor. These are multi-million dollar homes, hundreds of them.

Killing time the other day, I decided to check out a habitat for humanity, thinking, this is going to be amazing........There was NOTHING. In fact, they were closing down two locations. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? What happens to the stuff in these houses? Aside from auctioning some of it perhaps, could we not have some kind of bylaw for foreign developers, that they must make use of and/or Donate any salvageable supplies? We have a Homeless issue and local families who cant afford homes. This is just crazy that 2 Habitat for humanities are closing doors amidst this. And while we are at it, it wouldnt hurt to require builders to incorporate the features and styles of the neighbourhoods they demolish, but that is a side issue to what Im talking about.

I can't wrap my head around the fact that foreign developers are carelessly tossing such historic and supply rich homes, with absolutely to bylaws restricting them from doing this. So I thought I would ask if someone knew anything about how all of that works....I need to understand this.

[Ptolemy Soter]

It’s just how things progress, because of many factors, in many cases. A sign of the times. Life will teach you why these things happen.

What are you going to do about it?

[Mad dab]

Oh I fully understand why they need housing. That is inevitable.

I do not understand how we can have so much homelessness and poverty in CANADIANS that were born and raised here, while allowing foreign buyers to be so wasteful with the neighbourhoods full of million dollar housing they are demolishing- They can afford to carefully demolish and deliver to places like habitat. All we have to do is require it.

They can use the money that they save on foreign buyers tax; by buying out of country, and maybe help the Canadian who lost his livliehood in local estate and went bankrupt, be able to afford home maintenance again.

I’m surprised that nobody cares.

[Ptolemy Soter]

I understand your grievances.

I think you'll find that many people do care, they just don't know what to do about it, or they can't do anything. Ideas for fixing the problem don't mean much until you use them effectively.