Maple Ridge
Unceded and Occupied Kwantlen & Katzie Territories
Red Braid has been organizing in Maple Ridge since 2015, when local homeless activists set up a tent city on Cliff Avenue. The tent city was evicted under the pretense of moving residents into a transitional shelter – which closed two years later, “transitioning” people back onto the streets and prompting the founding of Anita Place tent city, which came to be the longest-standing self-organized tent city in Canada. Anita Place was shut down by the City of Maple Ridge in mid-2019, but managed to win hundreds of units of modular, supportive housing in a town famed for its vehement opposition to low-income housing and poor-bashing Ridgelantes.
Our campaign activities include connecting homeless leaders in Maple Ridge to other sites of struggle, fighting back against anti-poor hatred, and organizing against police brutality. Homeless activists have been at the forefront of critiquing supportive housing, challenging the criminalization of the poor by police and bylaw, and fighting for harm reduction in Maple Ridge.
Photo by Murray Bush/flux photo
Updates and Events
“The IIO is blocking our access to justice”: Family of man murdered by RCMP call on Attorney General to join their fight against police brutality
The family of Kyaw Din, who was killed by RCMP officers in 2019, is calling on the Attorney General to join them in their efforts to get justice for Kyaw. They also call on the IIO to overturn its unjust decision to exonerate the police officers.
Tenant activists shame investor-landlord at his West Vancouver home
The Eviction Defense Network and Joyce Lachance picketed the home of an investor-landlord who recently evicted Joyce's low-income, disabled son.
Investor-landlord Bill Mitsui abuses tenants!
The Eviction Defense Network shamed investor-landlord Bill Mitsui by leafleting his swanky, West Vancouver neighborhood
Investor-landlord hires bailiff to evict low-income, disabled man
Curtis Lachance, a low-income man living with disabilities, was evicted by a bailiff yesterday for failure to pay rent that he's already paid. His family believes that his landlord violated human rights law in their treatment of Curtis and is looking into filing a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
“They’re pushing us all out!”: Low income tenants speak out against landlord’s evictions and abuse
Residents of Cityviews Village, a low-rise apartment building that was recently purchased by a private investment company, are speaking out against rampant abuse and intimidation by their landlord and building manager. Their landlord is using any means necessary to begin clearing out low income tenants so that rents can be raised.
BREAKING: Bowing to protest, Coast Mental Health drops its unlawful guest ban in Maple Ridge supportive housing
Residents of supportive housing successfully forced Coast Mental Health to drop its deadly ban on guests, but the struggle to abolish supportive housing is far from over.