Hearing into Chinatown development has some raising questions about manipulation

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver city council spent another full evening Thursday hearing impassioned speakers on the future of 105 Keefer Street, in Chinatown.

The developer, the Beedie Group, needs rezoning to construct a 12-storey condo building, which will feature a couple of dozen social housing units.

The debate Thursday night could be characterized as Chinese elders versus a younger Chinese generation – with the elders supporting the development and the younger Chinese demographic arguing seniors are being manipulated.

“I think this is a catalyst that will reinvigorate the neighbourhood and bring people back into Chinatown,” said one elder.

But younger speakers questioned who was influencing the seniors speaking in support of the development.

“Where did the buses that brought in almost 100 Chinese seniors here on Tuesday (the first night of the hearing) come from? How did they pay for those red T-shirts that spell out their support for 105 Keefer?” asked one gentleman.

“I think the seniors are caught in a very difficult position. We believe they are being used,” said another speaker.

The debate also focussed on whether the proposed building represents revitalization or the slow death of the historic neighbourhood.

Others tied historic wrongs to the need to house the elderly Chinese today.

“105 Keefer has become a real struggle for Chinese people to assert their own identity after decades of racial discrimination in this country,” said one speaker.

He and other opponents of the project say the building should offer one hundred per cent social housing, rather than the 25 units included in the plans.

But supporters argue doing that would amount to ghettoization.

“Isolating people based on their income or social status not only fails to improve their lives, it actually leaves them worse off,” said one woman.

The hearing continues at 5 p.m. Friday.