Vancouver council votes to freeze construction of new supportive housing [Video]

A majority of Vancouver councillors have voted in favour of Mayor Ken Sim’s motion to freeze the construction of net-new supportive housing in the city.

Despite fierce opposition by nearly 100 speakers and protesters outside city hall who argued it would make the homelessness situation in the city’s Downtown Eastside even worse, six ABC councillors voted in favour of the motion.

Green Coun. Pete Fry, newly independent Coun. Rebecca Bligh and ABC Coun. Lisa Dominato voted against it.

The mayor says Vancouver has 77 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s supportive services, including housing and shelters, yet only about 25 per cent of the region’s population, and that pausing construction would allow the city to “focus on renewing and revitalizing the current aging housing stock.”

Supportive housing refers to low-barrier housing …