Media Advisory: Surrey Residents, Union to hold Rally at Surrey City Hall: Put Surrey Families First!

Rally to be held this Thursday, February 13 at 4:00 PM

What: Family Day is around the corner, but dozens of families in Surrey are facing displacement due to City Council’s conditional approval of the redevelopment of Kwantlen Park Manor, which will take away affordable family-sized rentals. Mayor Locke and the Council moved the proposal forward despite the lack of proper public engagement. They are also allowing the developer to undermine the City of Surrey’s policy for rental housing redevelopment. 

Demonstrators are urging City Hall to adopt a fair housing agreement with the developer that will protect the rights of current tenants to be offered affordable units in the proposed towers. The proposed redevelopment, which has not received final approval from the city, will also put more pressure on already stretched schools and the hospital, not to mention upending the lives of families who may be forced out to make way for higher-priced housing.    

Who: Surrey residents, UNITE HERE Local 40 members, BC ACORN, and community allies.  

When: Thursday, February 13, at 4:00 PM 

Where: Surrey City Hall (Plaza), 13450 – 104 Avenue

Visuals: Rallygoers will be chanting, holding colorful signs and marching. 

Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785

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UNITE HERE Local 40 is the union for hospitality workers who live and work in communities across the province, including Surrey.



Camp Workers at Kobes Creek Lodge Vote in Favour of Strike Action

Fort St. John, BC – Hospitality workers at Kobes Creek Lodge who serve workforce crews of natural gas projects in Northern BC have voted 93.5% in favour of strike action. The workers are represented by BC’s hospitality union, UNITE HERE Local 40.

The 31 camp culinary, housekeeping and janitorial workers are employed by Horizon North Camp Services, a division of Dexterra Group, at Kobes Creek Lodge. Workers have been in bargaining since December last year and are demanding better wages, travel pay, safe workloads, and improved benefits. Workers joined Local 40 last year in September over concerns about wages and working conditions.

“I work 12-hour days for 20 days straight, going above and beyond because I’m passionate about my job and the people I serve. So why am I being punished with an unmanageable workload? And why am I not earning a living wage for it? We deserve fair pay and respect.” said Miranda Nedd, First Cook.

Situated North of Fort St. John, in the core of British Columbia’s Montney resource region, Kobes Creek Lodge provides accommodations for workers in mining and related industries.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents approximately 1,000 camp hospitality workers and recently negotiated new contracts at Red Chris Mine and Cedar Valley Lodge that continue to raise standards for workers in the sector.

Contact: Rifat Islam, [email protected], 604-619-0798

Press Release: Surrey City Council has no response for Surrey families

Kwantlen Park Manor tenants speak at public hearing against redevelopment and displacement.

Surrey, BC – Kwantlen Park Manor tenants appealed to Surrey City Council urging them to halt the redevelopment proposal that could displace them. Council ignored concerns raised by Surrey families and granted third-reading approval of the project after last night’s public hearing.  The proposal for two 6-storey condo and market-rental towers would replace the 31-unit apartment building that is home to dozens of families. 

Seven of the affected tenants spoke on behalf of their families and their neighbors. They cited lack of affordable rental options to turn to and how displacement would affect their families, as well as residents with special needs and children attending nearby schools.  

“I have lived here for over two years. We haven’t been told anything about what is happening to us tenants. I have three young children and am the only one who works in my family. Two of my kids go to the nearby school. When I told my daughter we may need to move, she burst out crying. She doesn’t want to be the new kid in school again. Having to move will traumatize my kids and will affect all of us,” said Abdul Arabzad, a tenant at Kwantlen Park Manor.   

Council did not address concerns raised about the developer’s non-compliance with the city’s rental housing redevelopment policy. Nor did they answer questions about the city’s failure to properly inform tenants about the public hearing. 

“The owner hasn’t given us information about their plan or what that means for us. This proposal will create chaos for our family. We also have children in school who will be affected. How do we find a 2-bedroom to rent for what we pay now?  We don’t have the income to afford higher rent, so this creates misery for us. The building owner should give us options. Either offer us a place at the same rent or provide us with financial assistance to find a place to live. We need time to make decisions for our families,” said Suh Ngwa, another tenant at Kwantlen Park Manor. 

The building owner’s application raises serious red flags. The proposed plan for tenants does not comply with the city’s rental housing redevelopment policy. Neither the city nor the developer has properly informed tenants about development timelines or processes.     

Most of the current residents are families who stand to lose not only direly needed affordable rental housing for low-income residents, but many would have to uproot children attending nearby elementary and secondary schools. Some have children with special needs or are seniors who cannot afford to move. Many of them are immigrants; some are relative newcomers to Canada who experience language barriers. 

The disruption posed to families as currently proposed undermines the city’s mission to increase affordable housing for Surrey residents.  Among the top concerns are: 

The developer’s proposal for tenants ignores the tenant profile. 

  • The developer is proposing to replace Kwantlen Park Manor, a 31-unit apartment building, with two 6-storey towers with 138 strata condo and market-rate rental units.  However, the proposal includes only 10 below-market rental units to offer existing tenants. Under city policy, the developer should be providing tenants the right to return to 31 affordable rental units. 
  • Approximately 65% of apartments in Kwantlen Park Manor are 2-bedroom units that predominantly house families who have lived there for years.  Under the developer’s proposal, 9 out of the 10 below-market rental units would be 1-bedroom units.  The proposal does not accommodate the current family mix at Kwantlen Park Manor.
  • Tenants say they have low incomes and pay below market-rate rents at Kwantlen Park Manor.  The average market rent for a 2-bedroom in Surrey is $2,400, which tenants say they cannot afford. 
  • Tenants have not been provided with a copy of the developer’s occupancy summary, communications plan, or tenant relocation plan that the city requires developers to submit as part of their development application.  Without an opportunity to review these plans, tenants have no way of knowing whether the developer has provided accurate information to city staff. 

Failure of communication runs afoul of city policy.

  • Tenants are ill-informed about the building owner’s redevelopment plan.  They have not been informed about key dates in the development timeline or told what the tenant relocation plan is or how it may impact their families. Under the city’s rental housing and redevelopment policy, the developer is required to communicate clearly and regularly about their plans.
  • Tenants have not received notice from the City of Surrey about the public hearing as required by the Community Charter and city policy. Tenants were unaware of the upcoming public hearing at City Hall until UNITE HERE Local 40 informed them about the meeting.
  • Tenants report receiving only one letter from their property manager by email on November 29.  However, the letter failed to disclose any key dates, such as when the proposed application would be introduced to Council. Tenants were not alerted that the date of first and second reading was on December 2 or that the developer amended the plan by expanding the size of the project in a proposal submitted to Council on December 16. The city also failed to send notices about the amended proposal to stakeholders as typically required.

Kwantlen Park Manor is owned by an affiliate of Surrey-based RBI Group and their development arm, Jayen Properties. RBI Group is the applicant behind the rezoning and development permit proposal before Council.

 

Media Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], or 778-960-9785.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents hospitality workers across the province, including many who live in Surrey. Local 40 also represents workers who are on strike at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport, which is majority owned by an affiliate of RBI Group. 

Press Release: Local 40 camp workers at Red Chris Mine vote 99% to approve first union contract, setting new standard for BC camp workers

Dease Lake, BC – Workers at Red Chris Mine, unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40, have overwhelmingly ratified a groundbreaking new contract with 99% support. This agreement establishes a new benchmark for camp workers’ wages and working conditions in British Columbia.

Workers will see their wages rise by over 40% over the next 18 months, marking one of the most significant gains for camp workers in BC. By the end of the contract, housekeepers at Red Chris Mine can expect to earn over $30 per hour, reflecting the essential nature of their work. Enhanced provisions will address workload concerns, ensuring more manageable and equitable work schedules for employees.

The road to this achievement began when workers at Red Chris Mine unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40 in April. Following months of negotiations, workers demonstrated their solidarity and determination with a strike vote in October, sending a clear message to management about their priorities.

The agreement sets a new standard for wages and working conditions across the province’s camp-based industries and underscores the growing momentum of worker organizing in resource and hospitality sectors.

Located in the “Golden Triangle” of Northwestern British Columbia, the Red Chris Mine is owned by Newmont, one of the largest gold mining companies globally.

UNITE HERE Local 40 represents about 1,000 camp hospitality workers. Camp workers continue to organize for better standards across the province. Most recently, workers at three Horizon North camps around the Fort St John area joined Local 40.

Contact: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785 or Rifat Islam, [email protected], 604-619-0798

Media Advisory: Hotel workers to Hold Rally Urging Swifties to Honour the Picket Line amid Taylor Swift’s Final Eras Tour Shows!

WHAT: On the eve of the heavily anticipated final shows of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Vancouver, striking workers at Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport will hold a demonstration on Thursday, December 5.  Protestors are urging Swifties to use alternative accommodations to avoid encountering noisy demonstrations, reduced services, and skeletal staffing.    

WHO: Striking Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport workers and community allies.

WHEN: Thursday, December 5, at 5PM

WHERE: Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport, 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, BC.

WHY: The strikers, predominantly women who have worked at the hotel for decades, have been on strike for over 1,300 days. They went on strike after 143 of their co-workers were terminated during the pandemic. Workers are striking for secure jobs to return to and for family-supporting wages and working conditions. The BC Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress have issued a boycott against Radisson Blu Vancouver Airport and The Deck at Radisson Blu. 

Swifties are urged to use FairHotel.org to find a hotel that is not behind picket lines. 

VISUALS: Striking hotel workers and their supporters banging drums, chanting and marching, carrying banners, and signs. 

MEDIA CONTACTS: Michelle Travis, [email protected], 778-960-9785, or

Rifat Islam, [email protected], 604-619-0798