The residents of Stamps Place — one of about 350 public housing properties scheduled to be sold by the BC government – have one simple request. They just want to be included in crucial decisions about their homes.

Just over a week ago, the Stamps Tenants Council delivered your petition to Shayne Ramsay, Head of BC Housing. The tenants went to the office with confidence, knowing they were supported by hundreds of people who, like you, think residents should have a say in what happens to their homes.

Tenants are asking Mr. Ramsay to meet with them as a group, and to stop the current process in favour of one that includes the tenants.

Ramsay doesn’t seem willing to meet with tenants.

So we’re once again contacting the Housing Minister, Rich Coleman. He’s the politician in charge, and he can make BC Housing sit down for a meeting. Your help has mattered so much so far — it’s people like you who can help ensure that the Stamps process is not the canary in a coal mine, a harbinger of bad things to come for thousands of low-income people living in public housing across BC.

It’s been four months since BC Housing first notified tenants of the plans to transfer the public property to a non-profit, and despite ongoing requests for transparency and inclusion, tenants continue to be shut out of the transfer process.

Can you help now by sending Rich Coleman a letter or an email? His email address and a sample message are at the bottom of this page.

There is still no confirmation of when the transfer will happen or which non-profit will be selected to take over Stamps place. The transfer process seems to have slowed down considerably – your efforts have helped stall the slapdash housing sale that looked like an effort to help balance the BC budget [1].

There’s still time to stop the current transfer process, and to create one that includes tenants.

Write to Rich Coleman asking him to make sure residents have a say in what happens to their housing. You can find Minister Coleman’s email and mailing address, as well as a sample letter, below.

Thank you for your support,

Jen and Reilly,

In support of the Stamps Place Tenants Council

P.S. Want to learn more about the Stamps Tenants Council? They’ve got a website! www.stampsplaceisourhome.com. Note: The petition on the site is the one you’ve already signed

P.P.S. Daphne Bramham wrote 2 in-depth columns about the transfer process – they’ve worth checking out: